futon

See also: Futon and FUTON

English

two futons (thin mattresses)

a futon (sofa-bed)

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 布団 (futon), in turn from Middle Chinese 蒲團 (MC bu dwan, “meditation cushion”) (compare Mandarin 蒲团 (pútuán)), from 蒲 (buo, “bulrush, cattail”) + 團 (duɑn, “sphere, round object”) from the way the original cushion was round and made from woven bulrushes.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfuːtɒn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfutɑn/
• Rhymes: -uːtɒn

Noun

futon (plural futons or futon)

1. A thin mattress of tufted cotton or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame as a bed.
   • 1891, Eliza Scidmore, Jinrikisha Days in Japan, page 145:

     The Japanese bed is the floor, with a wooden box under the neck for a pillow and a futon for a covering. To the foreigner the Japanese landlord allows five or six futons, or cotton-wadded comforters, and they make a tolerable mattress, although not springy, and rather apt to be damp and musty.

   • 1904, Clarence Ludlow Brownell, The Heart of Japan: Glimpses of Life and Nature Far from the Travellers’ Track in the Land of the Rising Sun, London: Methuen & Co., […], page 54:

     The futon are easily aired, and may be carried about readily when moving.

   • 1981, The East, page 66:

     Normally one or two futon are laid on tatami, several inches of straw matting recessed into the floor, providing a firm but extremely comfortable night’s rest.

   • 2015, Heidi Kim, editor, Taken from the Paradise Isle: The Hoshida Family Story, University Press of Colorado, →ISBN:

     Some futon (cotton-filled comforters and mattresses) were piled in one corner and few clothing belonging to father hung on some nails on the wall.

2. A round cushion used for Zen meditation, traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves.
3. A specific kind of sofa-bed, with a fixed cushion that forms a mattress when folded down and a sofa when folded up.
   • 2011 November 18, Ryan Allis, “From Dumpster Diving to Running a $50 Million Company”, in Time‎^[1]:

     I was 18 years old, sleeping on a futon, cooking on a George Foreman grill and showering at a friend's house every few days.

Translations

thin mattress placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame

• Arabic: فُوتُون m (futūn), فُوتُون يَابَانِيّ m (fūtūn yābāniyy)
• Bulgarian: шалте n (šalte)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 床墊／床垫 (zh) (chuángdiàn), 布團／布团 (bùtuán)

• Esperanto: futono
• Finnish: futon (fi)
• French: futon (fr) m
• German: Futon (de) m
• Italian: materasso giapponese m, futon m
• Japanese: 布団 (ja) (ふとん, futon), ふとん (ja) (futon), 蒲団 (ja) (ふとん, futon)
• Korean: 후톤 (huton)
• Marathi: फुतोन f (phuton)
• Portuguese: futon (pt) m
• Russian: футо́н (ru) m (futón)
• Spanish: futón m
• Welsh: ffŵton m

a Japanese cushion for meditation

• Arabic: فُوتُون m (futūn), فُوتُون يَابَانِيّ m (fūtūn yābāniyy)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 布團／布团 (bùtuán), 坐垫 (zh) (zuòdiàn), 蒲團／蒲团 (zh) (pútuán)

• Dutch: futon (nl) m or f
• Finnish: futon (fi)
• German: Futon (de) m
• Italian: futon m
• Japanese: 布団 (ja) (ふとん, futon), ふとん (ja) (futon), 蒲団 (ja) (ふとん, futon)
• Korean: 후톤 (huton)
• Russian: футо́н (ru) m (futón)

Anagrams

• fount, Ufton

Esperanto

Noun

futon

1. accusative singular of futo

Finnish

Etymology

From Japanese 布団 (futon, ふとん).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfuton/, [ˈfut̪o̞n]
• Rhymes: -uton
• Syllabification^(key): fu‧ton

Noun

futon

1. futon

Declension

Inflection of futon (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative		futon	futonit
genitive		futonin	futonien futoneiden futoneitten
partitive		futonia	futoneita futoneja
illative		futoniin	futoneihin
		singular	plural
nominative		futon	futonit
accusative	nom.	futon	futonit
	gen.	futonin
genitive		futonin	futonien futoneiden futoneitten
partitive		futonia	futoneita futoneja
inessive		futonissa	futoneissa
elative		futonista	futoneista
illative		futoniin	futoneihin
adessive		futonilla	futoneilla
ablative		futonilta	futoneilta
allative		futonille	futoneille
essive		futonina	futoneina
translative		futoniksi	futoneiksi
abessive		futonitta	futoneitta
instructive		—	futonein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of futon (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative futonini futonini accusative nom. futonini futonini gen. futonini genitive futonini futonieni futoneideni futoneitteni partitive futoniani futoneitani futonejani inessive futonissani futoneissani elative futonistani futoneistani illative futoniini futoneihini adessive futonillani futoneillani ablative futoniltani futoneiltani allative futonilleni futoneilleni essive futoninani futoneinani translative futonikseni futoneikseni abessive futonittani futoneittani instructive — — comitative — futoneineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative futonisi futonisi accusative nom. futonisi futonisi gen. futonisi genitive futonisi futoniesi futoneidesi futoneittesi partitive futoniasi futoneitasi futonejasi inessive futonissasi futoneissasi elative futonistasi futoneistasi illative futoniisi futoneihisi adessive futonillasi futoneillasi ablative futoniltasi futoneiltasi allative futonillesi futoneillesi essive futoninasi futoneinasi translative futoniksesi futoneiksesi abessive futonittasi futoneittasi instructive — — comitative — futoneinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative futonimme futonimme accusative nom. futonimme futonimme gen. futonimme genitive futonimme futoniemme futoneidemme futoneittemme partitive futoniamme futoneitamme futonejamme inessive futonissamme futoneissamme elative futonistamme futoneistamme illative futoniimme futoneihimme adessive futonillamme futoneillamme ablative futoniltamme futoneiltamme allative futonillemme futoneillemme essive futoninamme futoneinamme translative futoniksemme futoneiksemme abessive futonittamme futoneittamme instructive — — comitative — futoneinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative futoninne futoninne accusative nom. futoninne futoninne gen. futoninne genitive futoninne futonienne futoneidenne futoneittenne partitive futonianne futoneitanne futonejanne inessive futonissanne futoneissanne elative futonistanne futoneistanne illative futoniinne futoneihinne adessive futonillanne futoneillanne ablative futoniltanne futoneiltanne allative futonillenne futoneillenne essive futoninanne futoneinanne translative futoniksenne futoneiksenne abessive futonittanne futoneittanne instructive — — comitative — futoneinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative futoninsa futoninsa accusative nom. futoninsa futoninsa gen. futoninsa genitive futoninsa futoniensa futoneidensa futoneittensa partitive futoniaan futoniansa futoneitaan futonejaan futoneitansa futonejansa inessive futonissaan futonissansa futoneissaan futoneissansa elative futonistaan futonistansa futoneistaan futoneistansa illative futoniinsa futoneihinsa adessive futonillaan futonillansa futoneillaan futoneillansa ablative futoniltaan futoniltansa futoneiltaan futoneiltansa allative futonilleen futonillensa futoneilleen futoneillensa essive futoninaan futoninansa futoneinaan futoneinansa translative futonikseen futoniksensa futoneikseen futoneiksensa abessive futonittaan futonittansa futoneittaan futoneittansa instructive — — comitative — futoneineen futoneinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• futonpatja

 

Further reading

• “futon”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Indonesian

futon

Etymology

From Japanese 布団(ふとん) (futon), 布團(ふとん) (futon), from Middle Chinese 蒲團 (bu-dwan, “meditation cushion”) (compare Mandarin 蒲团 (pútuán)), from 蒲 (buo, “cattail”) + 團 (duɑn, “sphere, round object”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfu.tɔn]
• Rhymes: -tɔn, -ɔn, -n
• Hyphenation: fu‧ton

Noun

futon (plural futon-futon, first-person possessive futonku, second-person possessive futonmu, third-person possessive futonnya)

1. futon: a Japanese-style mattress or duvet; a thin mattress of tufted cotton or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame as a bed.

   Hypernym: matras

Further reading

• “futon” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

futon

1. Rōmaji transcription of ふとん