Kabosy

thumb|left|150px|A boy playing a mandoliny or kabosy with full fretting. thumb|right|Kabosy. thumb|right|A guitar-shaped Kabosy.

The kabosy is a box-shaped wooden guitar commonly played in music of Madagascar. It has four to six strings and is commonly thought to be a direct descendant of the Arabic oud through the gambus played in Malay-populated areas of Southeast Asia. The kabosy has staggered frets, many of which do not even cross the entire fretboard, and is generally tuned to an open chord.