Yōfuku
/joːɸɯ̥kɯ/noun
A Japanese term for Western-style clothing, especially as distinguished from traditional Japanese dress.
Did you know?In modern Japanese, yōfuku developed as the counterpart to wafuku—“Japanese clothing”—a distinction that became especially important during Japan’s rapid Westernization in the Meiji era.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
洋
“The sea; later, foreign or Western, especially in contrast with China or Japan”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
服
“Clothing, garments; also to wear or put on”
19th Century
Japanese
洋服
“Western-style clothing, formed from 洋 meaning “Western” and 服 meaning “clothing””
Meiji Era, 1868–1912
Japanese
yōfuku
“Western dress adopted alongside Japan’s modernization and changing social institutions”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
洋服
“Western-style clothes, contrasted with 和服 wafuku, traditional Japanese clothing”