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Morin khuur

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 Mongolian horsehead fiddle with two strings, producing overtone-rich melodies

Detailed Definition
The morin khuur’s whinnying, lyrical tones appear in Central Asian poetry to evoke steppe landscapes, nomadic identity, and ancestral spirits; its carved horse head symbolizes freedom and connection to nature, making it a metaphor for the soul’s journey in verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Mongolian poets liken the morin khuur to “a stallion’s soul in wood and hair”; Its horsehead carving whinnies with each bow stroke; “Morin khuur plays—steppe grass remembers hooves”; In shamanic verse, the instrument channels sky spirits: “Two strings, two rivers—morin khuur drinks from heaven.”
Additional Notes
The morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) is Mongolia’s national instrument, with two strings and a carved horse-head scroll; its expressive, vocal-like tones mimic nature and throat-singing—ideal for poems about nomadic identity, animism, or the instrument as embodiment of the steppe’s wind, hooves, and spirit.
Also Known As
Mongolian horsehead fiddle
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