二胡

Chinese

		two	vertical bowed lute; short for 胡琴
trad. (二胡)		二	胡
simp. #(二胡)		二	胡
Literally: “two(-stringed) vertical bowed lute”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): èrhú

  (Zhuyin): ㄦˋ ㄏㄨˊ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ji⁶ wu^4-2

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): ngei⁵ vu^3*

• Gan (Wiktionary): 'eo⁵ fu⁴
• Northern Min (KCR): nī-ǔ
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): jī-ô͘ / lī-ô͘

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: èrhú
    • Zhuyin: ㄦˋ ㄏㄨˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: èrhú
    • Wade–Giles: êrh⁴-hu²
    • Yale: èr-hú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ellhwu
    • Palladius: эрху (erxu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀɤɻ⁵¹ xu³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ji⁶ wu^4-2
    • Yale: yih wú
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ji⁶ wu^4-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: yi⁶ wu^4-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiː²² wuː²¹⁻³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: ngei⁵ vu^3*
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵑɡei³² vu²²⁻²²⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: 'eo⁵ fu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˈɵ¹¹ fu³⁵/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: nī-ǔ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni⁵⁵ u²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jī-ô͘
    • Tâi-lô: jī-ôo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: jixoo
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡zi²²⁻²¹ ɔ¹³/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lī-ô͘
    • Tâi-lô: lī-ôo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lixoo
    • IPA (Xiamen): /li²²⁻²¹ ɔ²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /li⁴¹⁻²² ɔ²⁴/

Noun

二胡

1. erhu (bowed string instrument with two strings, used in traditional and classical Chinese music) (Classifier: 把 m; 個／个 c)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 二胡 (“erhu”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		二胡, 南胡
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	南胡, 二胡
	Singapore	二胡
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	二胡兒
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	二胡兒
	Xi'an	二胡兒
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	胡琴
	Masanchin (Shaanxi Dungan)	二胡子
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	胡胡子
Southwestern Mandarin	Guiyang	二胡
Cantonese	Guangzhou	二胡, 二弦
	Hong Kong	二胡
	Taishan	二胡
Gan	Nanchang	二胡
	Lichuan	二胡
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	二弦
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	二弦
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	二弦
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	二弦
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	二弦
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	二弦
Huizhou	Jixi	胡琴
Northern Min	Jian'ou	二胡
Southern Min	Xiamen	弦仔, 二胡
	Quanzhou	二胡, 尿升 humorous
	Zhangzhou	弦仔, 二胡
	Zhao'an	二弦, 胡弦
Wu	Shanghai	胡琴

Derived terms

• 京二胡 (jīng'èrhú)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (二胡):

• → Japanese: 二胡(にこ) (niko)
• → Korean: 이호(二胡) (iho)

See also

• 古琴 (gǔqín)
• 古箏／古筝 (gǔzhēng)

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
二	胡
に Grade: 1	こ Jinmeiyō
on’yomi

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from Middle Chinese or Sinitic?”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) に​こ [níꜜkò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iko̞]

Noun

二(に)胡(こ) • (niko) 

1. erhu

See also

• 胡(こ)弓(きゅう) (kokyū, “kokyū”, Japanese bowed string instrument)