The mi gyaung (Burmese: မိကျောင်း [mḭ dʑáʊɰ̃]) or kyam (Mon: ကျာံ, [cam] ⓘ; pronounced "chyam") is a crocodile-shaped fretted, plucked zither with three strings that is used as a traditional instrument in Burma.
It has three metal strings which pass over eight to ten raised movable frets on the flat top of the instrument and fasten to tuning pegs near the tail.
In southern Myanmar the mí-gyaùng is associated with the Mon (who know it as kyam), an ethnic people linguistically related to the Mon-Khmer of Thailand and Cambodia.
The instrument has a buzzing sound because the strings are raised just off the flat bridge by a sliver of bamboo or other thin material such as plastic.
[3] However, while the mi gyaung has realistic zoological features, its Thai and Cambodian relatives' animal forms are much more abstract.