[Surprising!] Quiz on Words Whose Names Have Changed from the Past to the Present

tissue

When written in kanji, chirigami is “塵紙.” It was originally made to wrap washi paper, and later came to be used in a way similar to modern tissue paper. Incidentally, it had lower wiping effectiveness than tissue paper and was not packaged.

zipper

The origin of the term “chakku” dates back to 1921. At the time, zippers were not yet common in Japan, and it’s said the name “chakku” was coined as a play on the familiar Japanese drawstring pouch, the “kinchaku.” As a side note, “zipper” means the same thing as “chakku.”

kitchen

In old Japan, the idea that “the kitchen is a place for servants” was deeply rooted. Servants were not allowed to speak freely, but only in the kitchen could they spend time as they liked. For that reason, it came to be called “okatte” (the servants’ kitchen).

sneakers

Zukku was commonly used to refer to sneakers. However, there is actually a major difference between the two. Zukku are athletic shoes made of thick fabric, while sneakers are athletic shoes made of thin fabric.

flooring

“Ita-no-ma” refers to a room with wooden flooring. In traditional Japanese houses, tatami rooms were the main type, so the term was used to distinguish the floored rooms. Therefore, in houses that only have Western-style rooms, the word “tokonoma” isn’t used. Incidentally, “tokonoma” also used to mean a ‘public bath’s changing room.’

additional time

Stoppage time refers to the extra time added to a match to make up for interruptions. Internationally, it has originally been called 'additional time,' and the term was changed to align with that. Therefore, saying 'lost time' (rosu taimu) won’t be understood at all overseas.

flour

Meriken-ko is synonymous with wheat flour. As terms like “hakurikiko” (cake flour) and “chūrikiko” (all-purpose flour) became more common, the word fell out of use. By the way, it’s said that “meriken” came from a mishearing of “American.”