laouta λαούτα) is a long-neck fretted instrument of the lute family, found in Greece and Cyprus, and similar in appearance to the oud.

It also has movable frets to permit the playing of the dromoi, or modes of Greek traditional music.

The intervals of the frets may be more frequent than that of a guitar to permit the playing of maqams.

The larger sized instrument (wider body) is played mainly on the island of Crete and tends to be tuned differently (G2G3 - D2D3 - A2A3 - E3E3), the re-entrant tuning is still a characteristic of the Cretan laouto (or lagouto (Greek: λαγούτο)), because D2D3 is a fourth lower than G2G3.

The role of the laouto in Greek traditional music is primarily that of accompaniment.