The ajaeng is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings made of twisted silk, played by means of a slender stick made of forsythia wood, which is scraped against the strings in the manner of a bow. The original version of the instrument, and that used in court music (called the jeongak ajaeng), has seven strings, while the ajaeng used for sanjo and sinawi (called the sanjo ajaeng) has eight strings; some instruments may have up to nine strings. The ajaeng is derived from the Chinese yazheng (simplified: 轧筝; traditional: 軋箏).