Back to all words

Ukiyo-e

2 stages from Japanese to English.

Today it means a genre of Japanese woodblock prints depicting landscapes, actors, and everyday life

Where does the word "ukiyo-e" come from? It comes from Japanese ukiyo-e, adopted directly into English (1870s-1880s).

ukiyo-e→ukiyo-e

Japanese · Edo era

"woodblock prints depicting everyday and pleasure-district life"

literally 'pictures of the floating world', naming woodblock prints of urban pleasures and landscapes

English · 1870s-1880s

"traditional Japanese woodblock prints"

borrowed by Western art critics during the Japonisme craze that influenced Impressionist painters

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom