  We propose a mechanism to obtain chiral phonon-like excitations from the
bond-dependent magnetoelastic couplings in the absence of out-of-plane
magnetization and magnetic fields. By mapping the hybrid excitation to its
phononic analog, we reveal the impact of the lattice symmetry on the origin of
the chirality. In the example of a triangular lattice ferromagnet, we recognize
that the system is equivalent to the class D of topological phonons, and show
the tunable chirality and topology by an in-plane magnetic field. As a possible
experimental probe, we evaluate the phonon magnetization and planar thermal
Hall conductivity. Our study gives a new perspective on tunable topological and
chiral excitations beyond the Raman spin-lattice coupling, suggesting possible
applications of spintronics and phononics in various anisotropic magnets and/or
Kitaev materials.
