Our rice cookers and water boilers are practical. They’re technologically advanced. They’re stylish. And they’re…whimsical!
Until 1999, our appliances used standard beep sounds to indicate when the rice cooker or water boiler had started and finished their settings. We realized that so many appliances existed together in our customers’ kitchens that it was difficult to know which appliance was beeping. So, as part of our tradition of smart design, we programmed our rice cookers and water boilers to play a tune instead of beeping.
Zojirushi Rice Cooker Circa 1999
And now we’re known for our whimsical, musical and oh-so-familiar “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” tune which plays at the beginning of a setting. And when a course is finished, the lyrical tune of “Amaryllis” plays!
While this feature is definitely one of our more lighthearted and fun ones, there is a solid technological foundation to adding tunes to our appliances. Each appliance needed a microcomputer in the control panel, and that technology was introduced in the late 1990s. Further, microcomputers needed to be programmable, and the manufacturers were able to sequence a series of beeps to make a tune.
We loved it then and we love it now. And so do our fun friends. Just check out this incredibly cute video on our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwNkZ1eh7NR/.
Let us know if you love these songs, too! And if you have a suggestion for a future product!
Please add a happy song to your coffee makers. It would be nice to hear a lovely song at the completion of brewing. I will be the first to buy it.
Thank you for your suggestion! We’ll make sure to pass it along to our product R&D team for consideration!
My friend and I were wondering, if you might share the composer or original performer for Amaryllis?
It sounds so vaguely familiar, but just googling the title gives us too many hits (and theyre all wrong)
Hi Trish, what a great question! According to google: “Amaryllis, a melody from the 1581 Ballet Comique de la Reine, later popularized by Henry Ghys”
It seems like it was popularized in Japan later on and that’s probably why this tune was selected, but now we’ll have to do more research into the Ballet! Please let us know if you figure out where you may have heard the tune!
I believe that the “boiled water” tune is Minuet in G by Petzold (often attributed to Bach).
I appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into the design but is there an option to mute the music notification on the water boiler?
Hi Berenice! The melody on our water boilers may be turned to silent. Please press and hold the UNLOCK button for more than 3 seconds. If you hear 3 long beeps, press and hold the UNLOCK button again and one long beep should be heard. This would indicate that the water boiler is set to silent!
Do all models of the rice cooker sing
Hi Jay, our conventional rice cookers (NS-RPC10/18, NHS-06/10/18) and the NS-WXC10 don’t have melody alerts. Please let us know if you have any additional questions!
Hi. My rice cooker (model NS-WXC10) is pretty new and doesn’t play any music? How do I turn it on? Thanks.
Hello Tim! Unfortunately, the NS-WXC10 doesn’t have a melody alert feature. We apologize for the inconvenience.
How do I turn off the melody alert on my rice cooker?
Hi Melissa, the melody can be set to silent on most of our rice cookers by pressing and holding the TIMER key for about 3 seconds. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Will this also turn it back on?
Hi Sara, yes pressing and holding the TIMER key for about 3 seconds will turn the melody alert on again too. Please let us know if you have any other quetions!
Hi does the Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer NS-WAC10/18 sing the tune?
Hi Shaughenessey, the Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer NS-WAC10/18 has a melody signal to let you know when cooking has started and completed. Please let us know if you have any questions!
I have an old cd-wbc40 water heater. It plays music, but the tune is neither “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” nor “Amaryllis”. It sounds like a sped-up version of a specific pop song I remember from the 1960s, but that song itself I recall being based on a piece of classical music. Are there other tunes you use in your water heaters, or am I just wrong about this tune being “Amaryllis”?
Hi C, great question! The water boilers have different melody alerts. The melody that plays when the boiling stops is called “Minuet” and when the timer is set it will play “Beautiful Dreamer” Please let us know if you have any more questions!
Thank you! I also have the same water boiler and was having a hard time identifying the melody as well.
Hi does the ZOJIRUSHI x HELLO KITTY
Automatic Rice Cooker & Warmer
NS-RPC10KT have a melody signal?
Hi Jan! The NS-RPC10 rice cooker is a conventional rice cooker that doesn’t have an internal micro computer and unfortunately it does not have a signal. Our Micom rice cookers do have melody signals and more cooking settings as well! Please let us know if you have any questions.
Hello! Does the NS-JCC10 play a melody? We used to have a different model that played the melody. Recently it broke. Now sadly this one does not play the melody. Thank you.
Hi Grahm, it looks like the NS-JCC10 had a buzzer to let you know it was done cooking. The current version of this model, the Neuro Fuzzy® Rice Cooker & Warmer NS-ZCC10/18 has a melody. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi! My family and I love the tune that our water boiler plays! We are running into abit of an issue now as we have accidentally switched off the melody.
I tried the previous methods shared on comments and it seems to have worked but now suddenly the melody is SOOO soft that you almost have to put your ears right beside the kettle to hear it. It’s less than a year old and we use it very carefully. Any idea what could be wrong?
Hi Jill, please try pressing and holding the UNLOCK button to turn on the melody. If this doesn’t help please reach out to our Customer Support Team and they will be happy to assist you.
Zojirushi Customer Service: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/customer_service/entry
Hi I have a cd-juc22 and it doesn’t currently play any melody. I was given it by my sister and they had turned off the sound. I would like the sound to play so that I knows when it has boiled. Did it originally play a melody or other sound? How do I turn it back on?
Hi Joy, The model CD-JUC22 does not have a melody alert. We apologize for the inconvenience. The water boiler will take about 23 minutes to reach boiling point and 30 minutes to reach the 195 keep warm temperature. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
I have the Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer NS-ZCC10. I cannot turn on the musical signal. I followed the instructions holding down the timer for three seconds and it only flashes between timed settings of 6:00 or 18:00. That’s it. NO sound comes on. And there is no volume control. I need help with this. You can always email me. Thanks!
Hi Kat, if you see 6:00 and 18:00 flashing then it indicates that the Timer function has been selected. This can happen if the button is released too soon when pressing down the Timer. Please try again to press and hold the Timer button for a little longer than 3 seconds. Do this a couple of times and you should hear the melody change from high volume to low volume. If this doesn’t work, please reach out to our Customer Support Team and they would be happy to troubleshoot the rice cooker with you.
My NP-GBC05 has a sound/short song and I like it. But lately, somehow, I can’t hear the song anymore when the cooking begins. When the cooking is completed, the end song is still on. What’s wrong? How do I fix it?
Hi TC, this is very unusual. Usually if there is something wrong with the part that plays the melody, then both melodies would be affected. Now, if the start melody is not playing and the end melody is, then the rice cooker may need to be inspected by an authorized service center. I would recommend to get in touch with our Customer Service Team so they can troubleshoot it with you first. Hope this helps!
Zojirushi Customer Service: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/customer_service/entry
I’m a student at Berklee College of Music, snd my roommate and I love our rice cooker!! It makes having nutritious amd fresh food as a student easy and affordable. We were so enamored by the little melodies our cooker plays when it’s set and when it’s done that we were wondering if there was anyone who has been able to upload or customize their own melodies for the Zojirushi to play!
Hi Peter! Having a rice cooker during college will definitely help! We are so glad to hear that you are getting the most of your rice cooker. We don’t have a customizable melody feature with our products, unfortunately. Although, this sounds like a really fun way to listen to your favorite jingle when your about to have a delicious meal. We will be sure to forward this idea to our R&D for future use!
My husband is a bit hard of hearing and so he has trouble hearing the melodies on our rice cooker. I assume there is no way to adjust the volume….but maybe an idea for future models. BTW it is an AWESOME machine. Best rice and best oatmeal ever.
Hi Kathlee, thank you so much for the suggestion. Only our NS-ZCC10/18 allows for a high or low volume for the melody. All other models have one setting unfortunately. We will be sure to forward this suggestion over to our R&D team for future use when developing a new product.
Hi, I noticed that the sound of our zojirushi neuro fuzzy produces weaker sound than we originally bought it. Is there anyway to increase the volume of the sound of it?
Hi Kat, it sounds like it has been set to the lower volume melody. Please try pressing and holding the TIMER button while the rice cooker is plugged in but not in use. This will switch the melody to beep and if you repeat, it should switch to the high volume melody. The instructions are on page 6 of the instruction manual which can be found here if you need it: https://www.zojirushi.com/support/manuals_ricecookers.html
Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Hey my old rice cooker (not a Zojirushi) made a beep noise when the cooking phase had finished and steaming phase begun. This let me know that there was 15 minutes left until finished – I have the NS-YSQ10 is there anyway this cooker has this feature? It is helpful and prevents me having to check on the cooker to see when I should start preparing other food items. THanks
Hello, while our rice cookers don’t beep, they usually show the time remaining which might be helpful in planning your meals. You can also use the Timer setting so the rice finishes cooking at the time you specify!
Hello, I have the CD-LCQ50 (WG) – Electric Dispensing Pot and cannot seem to turn the melody on. Is this a capable feature in the CD-LCQ50 (WG) model? Thanks.
Hi Beatrice, if the your water boiler is similar as our CD-LCC50 then by pressing and holding the Unlock button, you should be able to change the melody to beep or to silent. Please try pressing the Unlock button to see if it helps. If you need additional assistance, please reach out to your region’s Zojirushi branch and they will be able to assist you further: https://www.zojirushi-world.com/
Hi! Does the NP-DA10 or the NL-BS05-XB have the melody function? Thank you 🙂
Hi KC, it appears these two models are not Zojirushi America products. It appears that they may be Zojirushi products sold outside of the US and Canada. Unfortunately, we are unable to check these features since we are not provided information on products sold outside of North America. We apologize for the inconvenience.
I own one of your rice cookers. And it drives me CRAZY that its INTONATION IS AWfuL!! It plays most of its notes OUT OF TUNE. Let’s teach our kids and everyone not to hear music the way it’s supposed to be heard! Sing out of tune — your rice cooker does!
You guys did something cheap back in the 80’s – notes which are multiples of 2 or other integers! This is NOT IN TUNE. FIX IT FINALLY– The year is 2024! A 32 bit MCU costs less now than an 8 bit one. Get with it! (Get with a musically knowledgeable person! Talk to Yamaha, Korg, Roland, anyone you can find in Japan!)
Hi Mark, thanks a bunch for sharing your musical expertise with us. We know our tune might not be pitch-perfect, but it’s become a beloved part of our brand identity. For generations, it has brought comfort and memories to those of us who grew up with a Zojirushi rice cooker. We’re truly grateful for your critique and will definitely pass it along to our headquarters in Japan. Thanks again for your help!”
My Zojirushi water boiler did not have a chime sound. How can I turn it back on?
Hi Jennifer, to change the alert on most of our water boiler models, press and hold the UNLOCK button. Repeat the process until you hear the type of alert you would like to have. Please note that some of our water boiler models don’t have a melody alert. If you have any questions about your water boiler, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer service team: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/customer_service/entry
Ive been looking at your rice cookers for an hour almost now, Im fascinated.
Hi Olga, thank you for considering our rice cookers! If you have any questions, you can always reach us here, our social media or through our customer service team: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/customer_service/entry
My NS-LGC05 Rice cooker beeps ever hour about 1 minute before the hour (1:59, 2:59, and so on).
Why is this and how can I turn it off and still have the Melody when cooking. Thx
Hello HMD, the rice cooker will only alert you with beeps or melodies when you set it to cook and after it’s done cooking. It will not beep to alert the time the way you describe. You can turn off the melody alert by pressing and holding the TIMER button for about 3 seconds. Sometimes there is a different appliance that is beeping, like a microwave or oven. To test if the rice cooker is beeping you could unplug it and if you hear the beep then it’s not the rice cooker. If it’s making any abnormal sounds, then please reach out to our customer service team, they will be able to assist you further: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/customer_service/entry
Hello! What microcontroller do the Zojirushi Rice Cookers use? I am interested in creating a custom tune for a project!
Hello Nima, unfortunately we are unable to provide information on internal parts. We apologize for the inconvenience.