Meanings
nounzafu (plural zafus)
plural zafus
- A round cushion used for sitting during meditation.
The rugs were pink, the walls were pink, the “zafus” for seating were pink.
2016, Melissa Broder, So Sad Today1 more example
The cushions on the living room floor — a zabuton and zafu, to be exact — are used for daily Buddhist-influenced meditation.
2007 February 4, Dan Shaw, “As Always, Mother Knows Best”, in New York Times
Origin
- Japanese座蒲“cattail seat”
- Englishzafu
Japanese 座蒲 (zafu, “cattail seat”).
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 蒲團 /蒲团
- 蒲團 /蒲团 (pútuán)round cushion
Cite this entry
APA
zafu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zafu
MLA
“zafu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zafu. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zafu,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zafu.
Source: zafu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.