musical instrument
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- 1 musical instrument
A general term for an object designed or used to make music, such as a guitar, piano, drum, or flute.
musical instrument
An object used to play or produce music, regardless of the type of instrument.
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เขาชอบเครื่องดนตรีไทย khǎw chɔ̂ɔp khrʉ̂aŋ dontrii thay He likes traditional Thai musical instruments. เขาชอบเครื่องดนตรีไทย details
Learning notes
Explanation
เครื่องดนตรี is made up of เครื่อง, meaning “tool,” “device,” or “piece of equipment,” and ดนตรี, meaning “music.” Together, they form the general Thai term for a musical instrument. It can refer to instruments as a whole or to an unspecified individual instrument. To say “play an instrument,” Thai normally uses เล่นเครื่องดนตรี. With a specific instrument, its name can follow เล่น directly, as in เล่นกีตาร์, “play the guitar.” ชนิด is used when counting types of instruments, while ชิ้น can be used when treating instruments as individual items. Particular instruments may also have their own classifiers.
Usage
This neutral, everyday term is common when discussing hobbies and skills, music lessons, performances, instrument stores, and traditional Thai music. It is suitable for both conversation and general writing.
Caution
Use เล่นเครื่องดนตรี for “play a musical instrument.” ทำเครื่องดนตรี means “make a musical instrument.” Also distinguish เครื่องดนตรี from ดนตรี, “music,” and นักดนตรี, “musician.”