18 month old Baby Singing and Playing Ukulele. The ukulele is a Hawaiian four-string type of guitar used for chordal accompaniment of songs and playing solo. The ukulele appeared in the Hawaiian Islands in the second half of the 19th century, where it, under the name masheti da braça (port. machete da braça), was brought by the Portuguese from the island of Madeira. The first ukulele store in Hawaii was opened in 1880 by Manuel Nunez. Hawaiians use the ukulele to perform sentimental songs in English and “Hawaiian style” music.

The name of the instrument (woof. ʻukulele) is translated as “leaping flea” – what the quick movements of the right hand when playing the ukulele look like. Considering that the small kawakinho ukulele related to the ukulele was brought to Africa by the Portuguese in the 15th century, it is possible that this name is somehow connected with the word ukulele from the South African (Kaffir) language kosa (uku is the infinitive a particle similar to English to + lele – the verb to sleep), the meaning of which well conveys the dreamy and thoughtful mood caused by the sounds of the ukulele.