tasten

Tasten is a German noun used primarily in the plural form. It denotes keys or buttons on a device or instrument and is closely related to the singular word Taste. In everyday language, Tasten refers to the individual keys on keyboards, piano keyboards, remote controls, vending machines, and other input devices. The term is commonly found in contexts such as die Tasten einer Tastatur or die Tasten eines Musikinstruments.

In music, Tasten specifically means the keys of a keyboard instrument, such as a piano or an electronic keyboard. The Tasten are arranged in a series of white and black keys, which are pressed to produce different pitches. Musicians often describe practice and repertoire in terms of playing the Tasten, scales, chords, and passages across the keyboard.

As a verb, tasten means to touch or feel something with the fingers, or to search by touch. In technology and daily use it can also mean to press keys or to input data, for example by tasten numbers on a keypad. The related expression abtasten refers to examining the body by touch, or, in security contexts, frisking someone.

The term is common across German-speaking regions, though in specialized technical language its exact meaning may be clarified by pairing it with the relevant noun, such as Tastaturtasten for keyboard keys or Klaviertastatur for a piano keyboard.