The ütőgardon (Hungarian: [ˈytøːɡɒrdon]) also called a gardon, gordună, gardony, ütősgardony, tekenyőgardon, is a folk musical instrument played in Hungary and Romania (the regions of Transylvania and, to a lesser extent, Moldavia).

Although it is similar in appearance to a cello, it is played percussively: instead of using a bow, the player plucks and beats the strings with a stick.

The body of this relatively large stringed instrument, usually carved from a single piece of maple, poplar or willow, resembles classical stringed instruments, with a flat or slightly convex back and top, but with much thicker wood.

Musically there are similarities between the violin-gardon ensembles of Hungarians and some Roma in Transylvania and the zurna-davul widespread throughout the Balkans, Anatolia, and the Near East.

The gardon was primarily played by the Székelys, a Hungarian ethnic group in Transylvania,[1] and the Csángós of the Gyimes region.