onigiri

Where does the word "onigiri" come from? It comes from Japanese onigiri, and was adopted directly into English (2000s-2010s).

Onigiri’s story begins in Japanese: onigiri meant “a rice ball, often wrapped in seaweed.” Named a hand-formed ball of rice, originally a portable soldier's or traveler's meal. It reached English by 2000s-2010s as onigiri. Borrowed as convenience-store rice balls became a recognizable Japanese food export. Today, onigiri means a hand-shaped Japanese rice ball, often filled and wrapped in seaweed.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · medieval onigiri "a rice ball, often wrapped in seaweed", named a hand-formed ball of rice, originally a portable soldier's or traveler's meal.
2. Stage 2 · English · 2000s-2010s onigiri "a Japanese rice ball, often filled and wrapped in seaweed", borrowed as convenience-store rice balls became a recognizable Japanese food export.