Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1870s (scholarly), 1970s (mass market)
Futon
from futon
- Meaning
- A quilted mattress; in Western use, a foldable couch-bed.
- Source word
- futon
- Route into English
- Japanese *futon* → American English via 1970s alternative-living culture. The Japanese original is a thin quilted pad rolled up by day; the Western "futon" is a different object with the same name.
- Arrived
- 1870s (scholarly), 1970s (mass market)
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.