Sakura Sakura Kalimba Tab — Letter Notes & Numbered Tabs
The full Sakura Sakura arrangement for a 17-key kalimba in C major, written out in both letter notes and numbered notation — with an honest difficulty note and practice tips for the parts that need them.
Difficulty
Beginner
Key
C Major (17-key)
Range
C4 – A5
Tempo
80 BPM
Sakura Sakura — 'cherry blossom, cherry blossom' — is one of the oldest and most beloved melodies in Japan. People have sung it for centuries during hanami, the spring blossom-viewing season, and it is often the first song Japanese children learn. If you have ever heard traditional koto music, chances are this was the tune.
It happens to be almost perfectly built for a beginner kalimba player. The entire arrangement is one short, beautiful phrase: the melody climbs note by note to a small peak, curls back down, and lands on the lowest tine with a soft octave drop. Then — because that is how the folk song works — it happens again. And again. Each repetition is a fresh chance to play it more beautifully.
This arrangement is in C major for a standard 17-key kalimba and uses only six tines, from the low C4 up to A5. Below you get the complete tab in letter notes and numbered notation, a difficulty guide, and tips for making the repetition sound intentional and calm.
Hear Sakura Sakura first
A traditional koto performance of Sakura Sakura. Listen once for the mood, then notice how the kalimba tab below follows the same melodic shape.
Video: Sakura Sakura — Traditional Koto Music (YouTube). Want to test the fingerings as you listen? Open our virtual kalimba in a second tab and pluck along with the recording.
Sakura Sakura Kalimba Tabs — Letter Notes
How to read the letter tabs: each note shows the letter and the octave, like C4 or G5. On a 17-key kalimba in C, the lowest tine is C4 and the highest is E6, so the octave number tells you which side of the instrument to play on — smaller numbers are the longer, lower tines. A dash after a note (C4 -) means let it ring.
| C5 D5 E5 G5 A5 | G5 E5 C5 D5 C5 C4 | | C5 D5 E5 G5 A5 | G5 E5 C5 D5 C5 C4 | | C5 D5 E5 G5 A5 | G5 E5 C5 D5 C5 C4 | | C5 D5 E5 G5 A5 | G5 E5 C5 D5 C5 C4 | | C5 D5 E5 G5 A5 | G5 E5 C5 D5 C5 C4 | | C5 D5 E5 G5 A5 | G5 E5 C5 D5 C5 C4 |
Sakura Sakura Kalimba Tabs — Numbered Notation
How to read the numbered tabs: numbers 1–7 are the scale notes (1 = C, 2 = D, and so on). 1° is the low octave tine, plain 1 is the middle one, and 1′ is the high one — the same markings you see next to the numbers on your kalimba. Notes in parentheses ( ) play together, and a dash after a number means let it ring.
| 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 3 1 2 1 1° | | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 3 1 2 1 1° | | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 3 1 2 1 1° | | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 3 1 2 1 1° | | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 3 1 2 1 1° | | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 3 1 2 1 1° |
Prefer to hear it first? Open Sakura Sakura in the interactive player and follow along while it plays. For more songs in the same style, browse the free kalimba tabs hub.
How hard is Sakura Sakura on kalimba?
We rate this arrangement Beginner. We rate this arrangement Beginner, and it may be the easiest 'real' song in our library. One phrase, six tines, a slow 80 BPM. The only moment that needs practice is the end of each phrase, where the melody drops an octave from C5 to C4, the longest tine on the instrument. Move your left thumb down early and that signature drop feels smooth within minutes.
Learning path: phrase by phrase
Work through these phrases in order. Each one is short enough to master in a few minutes, and together they cover the whole song.
The climb — “sakura, sakura”
C5 D5 E5 G5 A5. Five notes rising like the melody's question. On the kalimba this is a simple walk across neighboring tines, and it opens every phrase.
The curl down
A5 G5 E5 C5 D5 C5. The melody leans on A5, then spirals gently down. Keep it light; the phrase should feel like falling petals, not a staircase.
The low landing
C4. Each phrase ends with the octave drop to the lowest tine, and it is the song's signature sound. Move early, land soft, and let the long tine ring until it fades on its own.
Playing tips
- Learn the climb first: C5 D5 E5 G5 A5. Five notes stepping upward — the rising line that makes the song feel like petals drifting on a spring breeze. Keep the spacing even.
- The descent is where the charm lives: A5 G5 E5 C5 D5 C5, then the octave drop to C4. Slide your thumb toward the low tine during the descent, not after it, so the drop lands without a pause.
- Vary the repeats instead of just repeating them. Play the first pass at normal volume, the second softer, the third with a tiny pause before the final note. Ten gentle variations beat ten identical repeats.
- Play it slowly enough to hear each note fade. Sakura is about blossoms that only stay briefly; a little space between phrases is not empty time, it is the point of the song.
Sakura Sakura kalimba FAQ
Why does Sakura Sakura sound so distinctly Japanese?
The traditional melody uses the hirajoshi scale, an old Japanese tuning with a wistful, slightly tense color. Our simplified arrangement keeps the famous melodic shape while fitting the standard C-major kalimba, so it sounds gentler than a koto but still unmistakably Sakura.
Is it really just one phrase repeated?
In this arrangement, yes — that is faithful to how the folk song is sung. On kalimba, treat each pass as a new take: change the volume, the pauses, or how long you let the final note decay, and the repetition becomes meditation.
Can I play it on a 10-key kalimba?
Most likely, yes. The song needs only C4, C5, D5, E5, G5 and A5 — six tines. Every standard 10-key and 17-key C-major kalimba includes them.
What should I learn next?
Jasmine Flower is the natural pair — another treasured Asian folk melody, equally gentle and stepwise. Amazing Grace is a good third step once you want a melody with a bit more rhythmic shape.
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Related tabs & guides
- Amazing Grace kalimba tabs — the other slow classic with wide, singing phrases; it pairs beautifully with this song at gatherings.
- 7 note kalimba songs — melodies that fit on small kalimbas, if you are playing on fewer than 17 tines.
- Kalimba tabs with numbers — more practice reading the numbered notation used in the tab above.
- 17-key kalimba tabs — arrangements written for the standard layout, including the high and low tines.