Washi
/ˈwɑːʃi/noun
Traditional Japanese paper made by hand from long plant fibers such as kōzo, mitsumata, or gampi.
Did you know?Washi-making became so culturally important that UNESCO recognized traditional Japanese hand papermaking as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.
Etymological Timeline
Eastern Han Dynasty, 2nd Century CE
Old Chinese
紙
“Paper; the Chinese character and term associated with the emerging paper-making technology.”
Medieval period
Middle Chinese
紙, tsí
“Paper; the source of the Sino-Japanese reading later used in Japan.”
8th Century
Old Japanese
和紙, wosi
“Japanese paper; 和 identifies Japan or Japanese style, while 紙 means paper.”
Middle Japanese
Japanese
わし, washi
“Japanese-made paper, especially traditional handmade paper.”
19th–20th Century
Modern Japanese
和紙, washi
“Traditional Japanese paper, distinguished from Western-style machine-made paper.”
Modern English
English
washi
“A loanword for traditional Japanese handmade paper and related decorative papers.”