The bouzouki, in the newer tetraxordo (four course/eight string) Greek version, was introduced into Irish traditional music in the late 1960s, by Johnny Moynihan, and popularized by Andy Irvine and later Donal Lunny. Within a few years of the bouzouki's adoption, the round-backed, stave-built Greek bouzouki began to be replaced by a design meant specifically for Irish music, based on the flat-backed mandolins built in Portugal, America, and Ireland and having either a flat top, a bent top, or a carved top.

Amongst luthiers and musicians alike, the Irish bouzouki is today considered to be part of the mandolin family, the other instruments of which include the mandolin, mandola, and mandocello. The scale length of the Irish bouzouki most often ranges from 23 to 26 inches. The octave mandolin is usually regarded as having a shorter scale length, in the vicinity of 20 to 23 inches.

The name "cittern" is sometimes applied to a similar instrument of five courses (ten strings), typically having a scale length between 20 and 22 inches, but they are often called "10 string bouzoukis", particularly when having a longer scale length. The fifth course is usually either a lowest bass course tuned to D on a longer scaled instrument or a highest treble tuned to A on a shorter one. However, for some builders and players, the terms "bouzouki", "cittern", and "octave mandolin" are synonymous. Others, such as Stefan Sobell, who originated the term for his Portuguese guitarra derived instruments, apply the name "cittern" to all shorter scaled instruments, irrespective of whether these have four or five courses, and the name of "bouzouki" to all longer scaled instruments.