ukiyo-e

American  

[yoo-kee-oh-ey, oo-kee-yaw-e] / yuˈki oʊˌeɪ, ʊˈki yɔˈɛ /

noun

1. a genre style of painting and printmaking developed in Japan from the 17th to the 19th centuries and marked by the depiction of the leisure activities of ordinary people.

---

ukiyo-e British  

/ ˌuːkiːjəʊˈjeɪ /

noun

1. a school of Japanese painting depicting subjects from everyday life

---

Etymology

Origin of ukiyo-e

1895–1900; < Japanese, equivalent to uki-yo transitory world ( uki float + yo world) + ( w ) e picture (perhaps < Middle Chinese; compare Chinese huà )

Example Sentences

The genre of Japanese prints called ukiyo-e, meaning “images of the floating world,” first arose in the 17th century and was often distinguished by city scenes, sumo wrestlers and geishas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Marcel Proust marveled over Japanese objects shown to him by his friend Marie Nordlinger, a Bing employee; a young van Gogh acquired hundreds of ukiyo-e, which he used as inspiration for his own work.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2021

He says Chinese tattooists draw inspiration from the fine brush techniques of antique Chinese paintings while Japanese artists mimic ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th century.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2019

They expand on details in ukiyo-e prints to make a room-filling panorama.

From Washington Post • Apr. 14, 2017

Her later inspirations include the Japanese woodblock print style known as ukiyo-e — “It was an instant love,” she says of the distinct style — and, more recently, following her contemporaries on social media.

From The Verge • Jun. 4, 2016