Zori
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A Japanese sandal made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions.
"1983 July, Tony Annesi, Dogu: Tools For the Way, Black Belt, page 70, Zori should be left at the edge of the training area so they can easily be stepped into. In Western dojo, this is sometimes impractical, but zori should at least be put on as soon as possible after leaving the training area."
- 2 A parent. gender-neutral, informal, rare
"You are your zori's daughter."
- 3 a sandal attached to the foot by a thong over the toes wordnet
- 4 A sandal, usually of rubber, secured to the foot by two straps mounted between the big toe and its neighbour.
"He ran back and I watched him go, legs pumping, soles of his zori showing."
Example
More examples"1983 July, Tony Annesi, Dogu: Tools For the Way, Black Belt, page 70, Zori should be left at the edge of the training area so they can easily be stepped into. In Western dojo, this is sometimes impractical, but zori should at least be put on as soon as possible after leaving the training area."
Etymology
From Japanese 草履 (zōri).
Related phrases
More for "zori"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.