かき鳴(な)らす

かきならす

verb (godan)

to strum; to play loudly (a stringed instrument)

他動詞 transitiveaction leisure

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	かき鳴(な)らす	かき鳴(な)らさない
Present polite	かき鳴(な)らします	かき鳴(な)らしません
Past	かき鳴(な)らした	かき鳴(な)らさなかった
Past polite	かき鳴(な)らしました	かき鳴(な)らしませんでした
て form	かき鳴(な)らして	かき鳴(な)らさなくて
ている present	かき鳴(な)らしている	かき鳴(な)らしていない
ている polite	かき鳴(な)らしています	かき鳴(な)らしていません
ている past	かき鳴(な)らしていた	かき鳴(な)らしていなかった
ている past polite	かき鳴(な)らしていました	かき鳴(な)らしていませんでした
Conditional ば	かき鳴(な)らせば	かき鳴(な)らさなければ
Conditional たら	かき鳴(な)らしたら	かき鳴(な)らさなかったら
Volitional	かき鳴(な)らそう	—
Volitional polite	かき鳴(な)らしましょう	—
Potential	かき鳴(な)らせる	かき鳴(な)らせない
Passive	かき鳴(な)らされる	かき鳴(な)らされない
Causative	かき鳴(な)らさせる	かき鳴(な)らさせない
Imperative	かき鳴(な)らせ	かき鳴(な)らすな

1. to strum; to play loudly; to bang out (on a stringed instrument)

To play a stringed instrument — especially a guitar, mandolin, or traditional Japanese instrument like the biwa — by sweeping or scraping the strings vigorously to produce bold, continuous sound. Suggests energetic, often rough or expressive playing rather than careful plucking.

ギターをかき鳴(な)らす。

To strum a guitar.

彼(かれ)はステージでギターを激(はげ)しくかき鳴(な)らした。

He strummed his guitar wildly on the stage.

夜(よる)、公園(こうえん)で誰(だれ)かがギターをかき鳴(な)らしているのが聞(き)こえた。

At night, I could hear someone strumming a guitar in the park.

琵琶(びわ)をかき鳴(な)らしながら物語(ものがたり)を語(かた)る盲目(もうもく)の法師(ほうし)の姿(すがた)が描(えが)かれている。

The scene depicts a blind monk telling tales while strumming a biwa.

Compound of the prefix かき (from the verb 掻(か)く, 'to scratch; to scrape,' functioning as an intensifier) and 鳴(な)らす ('to make something sound'). The かき prefix adds a forceful, sweeping quality to the action. Though sometimes written 掻(か)き鳴(な)らす, the kana-only かき鳴(な)らす form is far more common in modern usage.

Transitivity

Type: 他動詞(たどうし) (transitive) — takes a direct object marked with を.
There is no paired intransitive verb; for the instrument itself sounding, use 鳴(な)る.

ASPECT (ている):

かき鳴(な)らしている: is strumming (right now) — ongoing action in progress.
Often appears in the て-form with subsidiary verbs: かき鳴(な)らしながら ('while strumming'), かき鳴(な)らしていた ('was strumming').

Common collocations

ギターをかき鳴(な)らす: to strum a guitar
琵琶(びわ)をかき鳴(な)らす: to play a biwa (traditional lute)
三味線(しゃみせん)をかき鳴(な)らす: to strum a shamisen
弦(げん)をかき鳴(な)らす: to strum the strings
激(はげ)しくかき鳴(な)らす: to strum wildly
思(おも)いのままにかき鳴(な)らす: to strum as the mood takes one

Usage

Strongly associated with stringed instruments played with a sweeping motion. Not used for plucking individual notes (弾(ひ)く) or for wind or percussion instruments.
Conveys energy, passion, or roughness — compared with the neutral 弾(ひ)く ('to play,' for strings or piano), かき鳴(な)らす emphasizes boldness or intensity.
Common in literary, musical, and narrative contexts: rock performances, folk music, or descriptions of traditional Japanese music.

Similar words

弾(ひ)く: to play (a stringed instrument or piano) — the neutral, general verb; does not imply vigor.
奏(かな)でる: to play (an instrument); to produce music — more literary and elegant; often used for producing beautiful melodies.
鳴(な)らす: to sound; to make ring — the base verb; works for any object that produces sound (bells, horns), not just strings.
掻(か)き立(た)てる: to stir up; to rouse — a different かき compound, used figuratively for emotions, not music.

Related Words

Related: 鳴(な)らす (to ring, to sound (base verb))

Compare: 弾(ひ)く (to play)

Compare: 奏(かな)でる (to play)

Compare: 掻(か)き立(た)てる (to stir up)

general

Added 2026.4.17 8:27 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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