A harmonica is a small flat instrument you hold in one hand and put against your lips. You blow air out or suck air in, and you slide it left and right along your mouth to reach different notes. It fits in a pocket, which is a large part of why it spread the way it did — it travelled with soldiers, farm workers and railway workers, and it is the sound people think of for American blues, country music and old folk songs.

A harmonica Harmonica（口琴） is a small flat instrument是一種扁平的小樂器 you hold in one hand你用一隻手拿著 and put against your lips放在嘴唇上。 You blow air out or suck air in你吹氣或吸氣, and you slide it left and right along your mouth然後左右移動、劃過嘴巴 to reach different notes來吹出不同的音。 It fits in a pocket它放得進口袋, which is a large part of why it spread the way it did這是它能這樣普及開來的一大原因 — it travelled with soldiers, farm workers and railway workers它跟著士兵、農工和鐵路工人到處跑, and it is the sound people think of for American blues, country music and old folk songs而它也是人們想到美國藍調、鄉村音樂和老民謠時會聯想到的聲音。

Two other names for the same thing: 'mouth organ' (older, still common in Britain and among older speakers) and 'blues harp' or just 'harp' among players themselves — so if a musician says 'I play harp', ask which one they mean.

Two other names for the same thing同一樣東西還有兩個別的名字: 'mouth organ' (older, still common in Britain and among older speakers)「mouth organ」（比較舊的說法，在英國和年長的人之間還很常見） and 'blues harp' or just 'harp' among players themselves以及演奏者自己之間常說的「blues harp」或直接說「harp」 — so if a musician says 'I play harp', ask which one they mean所以如果有樂手說「I play harp」，得問清楚他指的是哪一種。

There is a curious history under the name: Benjamin Franklin invented a very different instrument made of spinning glass bowls and called it the glass armonica or harmonica, and the little wind instrument borrowed the name later. Almost nobody today means Franklin's instrument. You say 'play the harmonica', the same pattern as 'play the piano'.

There is a curious history under the name這個名字背後有個有趣的歷史: Benjamin Franklin invented a very different instrument班傑明．富蘭克林發明了一種很不一樣的樂器 made of spinning glass bowls由旋轉的玻璃碗組成 and called it the glass armonica or harmonica他把它叫做glass armonica或harmonica, and the little wind instrument borrowed the name later而這個小小的吹奏樂器後來借用了這個名字。 Almost nobody today means Franklin's instrument現在幾乎沒有人是在指富蘭克林那個樂器。 You say 'play the harmonica',你會說「play the harmonica」 the same pattern as 'play the piano'跟「play the piano」的說法一樣。