The ukulele, from Hawaiian is a chordophone classified as a plucked lute; is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings. The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of the small guitar-like instruments taken to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants and gained great popularity elsewhere in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.

Ukuleles are generally made of wood or composed partially or entirely of plastic. Cheaper ukuleles are generally made from ply or laminate woods, in some cases with a soundboard of an inexpensive but acoustically superior wood such as spruce and other more expensive ukuleles are made of solid hardwoods such as mahogany. Some of the most expensive ukuleles, which may cost thousands of dollars, are made from koa, also known as Acacia koa, a Hawaiian wood.

Typically ukuleles have a figure-eight body shape similar to that of a small acoustic guitar and they are also often seen in non-standard shapes, such as an oval, usually called a "pineapple" ukulele, invented by the Kamaka company, or a boat-paddle shape, and occasionally a square shape, often made out of an old wooden box. These instruments may have just four strings and some strings may be paired in courses giving the instrument a total of eight strings.

Four sizes are common; they are soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. There is also less common sopranino and bass at the extreme ends of the size spectrum. The soprano, often called "standard" in Hawaii, it is the smallest, and the original size ukulele. The concert size was developed in the 1920s as an enhanced soprano which is slightly larger and louder with a deeper tone. Shortly after that the tenor was created, having more volume and deeper bass tone.

Buying a ukulele is not on the same level as buying a car, because there are some practices one should utilize before making a purchase. In this Internet age, the ability to select from a wide a range, as one could imagine, is both a boon and a bane. Here are few purchasing tips:

• One should weigh exactly how much time you ll be able to spend playing and practicing ukulele. Decide that whether you are willing to dedicate a couple of hours a week or a couple of hours a day to this pursuit.
• Go out and find a ukulele you can test.
• Find some good instrument/music shops that not only carry ukuleles, but a variety of them. Get your hands on one to feel what it is like to play the instrument and learn to differentiate between the different fit and finishes available.