The name shakuhachi refers to the standard length of the instrument in traditional measuring units, 1 shaku, 8 (hachi) sun which is 1.8 Japanese feet or 54.5 centimeters (D) although flutes of various lengths are played, most commonly 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.4, 3.0, and 3.4.

The shakuhachi is made from thick-walled madake bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides) and has 4 holes on the front and one at the back making a pentatonic scale but through the meri-kari system of partial hole closing, up and down head movements and subtle changes in embouchure, a 12-tone chromatic scale up to 3 octaves can be produced. Most contemporary shakuhachi have a paste or laquer applied to the inside wall of the instrument (ji-ari) although there is a renewed interest in flutes which have natural linings (ji-nashi) and which produce a different, ‘more natural’ timbre.