sangen
Sangen is a term with multiple uses in East Asian contexts. In Japanese, sangen (三絃) literally means "three strings" and is used to designate three-stringed instruments, most notably the shamisen. The shamisen is a plucked instrument with a long neck and a small soundbox, typically strung with three strings and played with a plectrum called a bachi. The term appears in musicology and traditional performance contexts, including genres such as bunraku and kabuki where the instrument features prominently.
In a broader cross-cultural frame, the idea of three strings is common to several East Asian instruments.
Outside musical use, sangen may appear as a name in Japanese contexts, but this is typically unrelated