Beginners are often confused about handpan vs. hang drum. The reason is some people call it a hang drum. But its founders, Felix and Sabrina, strongly discourage using the term “drum” with their hang. Later they explained that they didn’t want people to misunderstand their instrument.
People mostly assume something that they need to hit hard or strike with sticks or mallet by the word drums. Instead, the hang is a sensitive instrument not designed for hard-hitting. You can play sound with light strokes of your fingers.