Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

erhu

/ˈɜːhuː/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.50 in modern English

Syllables: er-hu
IPA: /ˈɜːhuː/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of bowed spike fiddle having two strings, originating in China as part of the huqin family of string instruments.

Example Sentences

"A rugged, handsome woman who can plant five fields in the time it takes others to plant one, Lu reveals her inner self by playing sweet music on the ehru ^([sic]) in a deserted factory site."
"Searches on Craigslist turned up no ads for erhus, wanted or offered, though there was a posting for an instrument found on the Lower East Side (the owner must identify the instrument)."
"At Kurban’s school, traditional Chinese culture is woven into every aspect of campus life. [...] Two to four times a week, they [the students] attend classes in music and art, mastering instruments like the erhu, or two-stringed fiddle, singing Peking Opera and painting in traditional Chinese styles."

Etymology

From Mandarin 二胡 (èrhú), from 二 (èr, “two”) + 胡 (hú, “fiddle; short for 胡琴, a family of Chinese vertical fiddles”).

Word Breakdown

Root: 二胡

Inflected Forms

erhus (plural) erh hu (alternative) erh-hu (alternative) urheen (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce erhu?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɜːhuː/.
What does erhu mean?: A type of bowed spike fiddle having two strings, originating in China as part of the huqin family of string instruments.
Where does erhu come from?: From Mandarin 二胡 (èrhú), from 二 (èr, “two”) + 胡 (hú, “fiddle; short for 胡琴, a family of Chinese vertical fiddles”).

How to pronounce erhu

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “erhu”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɜːhuː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “erhu”.
Repeat and practice — Say “erhu” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.