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ukulele
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ukulele
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Also spelled:
Ukelele
Key People:
Tiny Tim
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ukulele
ukulele Ukuleles.

ukulele

musical instrument
Also known as: ukelele
Written and fact-checked by
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History

ukulele, (Hawaiian: “flea”), small guitar derived from the machada, or machete, a four-stringed guitar introduced into Hawaii by the Portuguese in the 1870s. It is seldom more than 24 inches (60 cm) long.

The ukulele has been played in Europe and the United States as a jazz and solo instrument in the 20th century. It is tuned (in the middle-C octave) g′–c′–e′–a′ or d′–f♯′–a′–b′.