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Shehnai

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

An Indian double-reed wind instrument with a conical bore and auspicious tone

Detailed Definition
The shehnai’s lyrical, nasal sound appears in North Indian poetry to symbolize weddings, temple rituals, and sonic sanctity; its association with Ustad Bismillah Khan links it to themes of national identity and the sacred in secular lyrical contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Indian poets call the shehnai “the voice of wedding gates”; Its reed cry blesses unions; “Shehnai blasts—gods shower rice on bride”; In life-cycle poetry, the shehnai marks joy and sorrow: “Same notes for birth and funeral—life’s circle.”
Additional Notes
The shehnai is a North Indian double-reed oboe with a conical bore and flaring bell, used in weddings and temples; its auspicious, vocal-like tone symbolizes celebration and divine presence—ideal for poems about ritual joy, the reed as blessed voice, or the shehnai’s role in marking life’s thresholds from birth to marriage.
Also Known As
Shehnai oboe
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