uke-e

UK/ˈuːkeɪˌeɪ/US/ˈukeɪˌeɪ/

noun

A kind of ukiyo-e (“Japanese painting or woodblock print showing a scene of everyday life”) depicting an auspicious subject, which was popular in Japan during the late 1800s.

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Meanings

noun
  1. artA kind of ukiyo-e (“Japanese painting or woodblock print showing a scene of everyday life”) depicting an auspicious subject, which was popular in Japan during the late 1800s.

    This print uses letters as part of the picture but is also an example of an uke-e (lucky print). […] On entering a good luck phase a person would receive gifts such as this print containing seven words beginning with the syllable fu (from fuku = happiness).

    2006, Rebecca Salter, “Leisure, Pleasure, Play”, in Japanese Popular Prints: From Votive Slips to Playing Cards (A Latitude 20 Book), Honolulu, Hi.: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, figure 138 caption, page 134

Origin

Transliteration of Japanese 有卦絵 (うけえ, ukee), from 有卦 (うけ, uke, “streak of luck”) (有 (う, u, “to have, possess”) + 卦 (け, ke, “divination symbol or sign”)) + 絵 (え, e, “picture”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish uke-e
  • uke-ekind of ukiyo-e depicting an auspicious subject
Japanese 有卦絵
  • 有卦絵 (ukee)kind of ukiyo-e depicting an auspicious subject
Polish uke-e
  • uke-ekind of ukiyo-e depicting an auspicious subject
Cite this entry
APA

uke-e. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uke-e

MLA

“uke-e.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uke-e. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “uke-e,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uke-e.

Source: uke-e on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.