Home › Glossary › Letter K

Kantele

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A Finnish plucked string instrument, central to national epic poetry

Detailed Definition
The kantele appears in poetry as a symbol of Finnish identity, mythic creation, and bardic power; according to the Kalevala, its music can heal, enchant, or shape the world, making it a potent metaphor for the poet’s creative force and the deep roots of oral tradition in lyrical heritage.
Example
Example in poetry:
Finnish rune poems call the kantele “the harp of Väinämöinen, strung with pike teeth”; Its plucked strings weave spells: “Kantele sounds—fish leap into boats”; “Five strings, five elements—kantele balances earth and sky”; In exile poetry, the kantele’s resonance is homeland: “I dream kantele notes melting Helsinki snow.”
Additional Notes
The kantele is a Finnish zither with plucked strings, ranging from five to dozens of strings; its shimmering, folk-toned resonance appears in the Kalevala epic—ideal for poems about national myth, oral tradition, or the quiet power of stringed sound in northern landscapes of ice and pine.
Also Known As
Finnish kantele
Skip to main content