*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of taiko

Borrowed from Japanese 太鼓 (たいこ taiko), from 太 (tʰàj, “great”) + 鼓 (kú, “drum”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A category of Japanese wooden drums of different shapes, sizes, and purposes. · A performance of several drummers in an ensemble (also called kumi-daiko). · A traditional drum, beaten by yobidashi to announce the beginning of a tournament, and at the end of each day

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese 太鼓 (たいこ taiko), from 太 (tʰàj, “great”) + 鼓 (kú, “drum”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "太鼓",
        "tr": "たいこ taiko"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese 太鼓 (たいこ taiko)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "太鼓",
      "太鼓#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "太",
      "太#Middle_Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "鼓",
      "鼓#Middle_Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A category of Japanese wooden drums of different shapes, sizes, and purposes.",
        "A performance of several drummers in an ensemble (also called kumi-daiko).",
        "A traditional drum, beaten by yobidashi to announce the beginning of a tournament, and at the end of each day"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d7a871eef6f598984ea18ad2c075eb920cd253d2233edf170d4b55859f0f9f74",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b7497575c4b50627e77ac36565a0a29c03d0b0aaec620fcd2b6c9b9bacc83342",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 428098
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for taiko →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dGFpa28