Ruan (instrument)

A ruan as seen from the front
A ruan as seen from the front
Ruan
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinruǎn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingjyun5
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese阮咸
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinruǎnxián
Second alternative Chinese name
Chinese阮琴
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinruǎnqín

The ruan (Chinese: ; pinyin: ruǎn) is a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument. It is a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body, and four strings. Its four strings were formerly made of silk but since the 20th century they have been made of steel (flatwound for the lower strings). The modern ruan has 24 frets with 12 semitones on each string, which has greatly expanded its range from a previous 13 frets. The frets are commonly made of ivory or in recent times of metal mounted on wood. The metal frets produce a brighter tone as compared to the ivory frets. It is sometimes called ruanqin, particularly in Taiwan.