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English word origin

Etymology of zazen

Borrowed from Japanese 坐(ざ)禅(ぜん) (zazen), from 坐(ざ) (za, “sitting”) + 禅(ぜん) (zen, “meditation”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A form of seated meditation in Zen Buddhism.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese 坐(ざ)禅(ぜん) (zazen), from 坐(ざ) (za, “sitting”) + 禅(ぜん) (zen, “meditation”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "坐%禅",
        "2": "ざ%ぜん"
      },
      "expansion": "坐(ざ)禅(ぜん) (zazen)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "坐",
        "2": "ざ",
        "3": "sitting"
      },
      "expansion": "坐(ざ) (za, “sitting”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "禅",
        "2": "ぜん",
        "3": "meditation"
      },
      "expansion": "禅(ぜん) (zen, “meditation”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "坐(ざ)禅(ぜん)",
      "坐禅#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "坐(ざ)",
      "坐#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "禅(ぜん)",
      "禅#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A form of seated meditation in Zen Buddhism."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "5468add46698674d2f42f3129a1c340f4c3f324285aaa20f3a3627b002dbae53",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dad4ae3a7587c4b51c43af760adc9b94483f7299693af498d9c1ddd79fa66872",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234656
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for zazen →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-emF6ZW4