Wafuku
/wəˈfuːkuː/noun
Traditional Japanese clothing, especially garments such as kimono, worn in contrast to Western-style clothing.
Did you know?The term wafuku became especially useful during the Meiji era, when Western-style clothing was increasingly contrasted with traditional Japanese dress.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
和
“Harmony; peace; a character later used in Japanese to signify Japan and Japanese culture.”
Ancient Chinese
Middle Chinese
服
“Clothing; garments; to wear.”
Early Japanese
Japanese
和 (wa)
“Japan or Japanese; an old native designation associated with the Japanese people.”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
服 (fuku)
“Clothing or garments, borrowed from the Chinese literary vocabulary.”
Late 19th Century
Japanese
和服 (wafuku)
“Japanese clothing, coined or popularized as a counterpart to 洋服 (yōfuku), Western clothing.”
Modern English
English
wafuku
“Traditional Japanese clothing, used as a loanword in English.”