kirigami

Where does the word "kirigami" come from? It comes from Japanese kirigami, and was adopted directly into English (1960s-1970s).

Kirigami’s story begins in Japanese: kirigami meant “the art of paper cutting and folding.” Combining 'kiru' (to cut) and 'kami' (paper), coined on the model of origami for paper craft that allows cutting. It reached English by 1960s-1970s as kirigami. Japanese 'cut paper', from 'kiru', to cut, plus 'kami', paper. Today, kirigami means a Japanese paper craft that combines cutting with folding, related to origami.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · 20th century kirigami "the art of paper cutting and folding", combining 'kiru' (to cut) and 'kami' (paper), coined on the model of origami for paper craft that allows cutting.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1960s-1970s kirigami "the Japanese art of paper cutting combined with folding", Japanese 'cut paper', from 'kiru', to cut, plus 'kami', paper.