Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1950s
Origami
from ori-gami
- Meaning
- Literally "folded paper" — the art of paper folding.
- Source word
- ori-gami
- Route into English
- Japanese 折り紙 → English via 1950s craft publishing. The art is much older than the word; "origami" became the canonical English name after WWII occupation-era cultural exchange.
- Arrived
- 1950s
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.