A Cajon (read: "cahon" means "box", "crate" or "drawer" in Spanish) is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or sticks. Cajones are primarily played in Afro-Peruvian music, but have made its way into flamenco music and became the most important percussion instrument of flamenco music.

The modern Cajon is often used to accompany a solo acoustic guitar or piano and also can be used instead of a full drum kit by bands when performing in minimalist settings. The cajón is becoming rapidly popular in blues, pop, rock, funk, world music, jazz, etc. Originally the instruments were only wooden boxes, but now they may have several stretched cords pressed against the top for a buzz-like effect, resembling a snare drum—guitar strings, rattles or drum snares may serve this purpose.