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Krar

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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 five- or six-stringed lyre from Ethiopia and Eritrea, used in secular and sacred music

Detailed Definition
The krar’s bright, rhythmic plucking appears in Horn of Africa poetry to symbolize praise, protest, and cultural identity; its role in azmari (minstrel) tradition links it to themes of social commentary, love, and lyrical resistance in diasporic verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ethiopian poets call the krar “David’s lyre reborn in highland sun”; Its five strings strum rebellion and praise; “Krar sings—hyenas pause, listen to truth”; In exile poetry, the krar’s buzz is homeland: “In London rain, my krar hums Addis dawn.”
Additional Notes
The krar is a five- or six-string Ethiopian lyre with a bowl-shaped body, used in azmari (bardic) traditions; its bright, rhythmic strumming accompanies poetic song—ideal for poems about oral resistance, urban storytelling, or the lyre as voice of the Horn of Africa’s highlands and cities.
Also Known As
Ethiopian lyre
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