# futon

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfuːtɒn/ · frequency rank #49,345

## Definitions
1. A thin mattress of tufted cotton or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame as a bed.
2. A round cushion used for Zen meditation, traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves.
3. A specific kind of sofa-bed, with a fixed cushion that forms a mattress when folded down and a sofa when folded up.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 布団 (futon), in turn from Middle Chinese 蒲團 (MC bu dwan, “meditation cushion”) (compare Mandarin 蒲团 (pútuán)), from 蒲 (bu, “bulrush, cattail”) + 團 (dwan, “sphere, round object”) from the way the original cushion was round and made from woven bulrushes.

## Easily confused with
- **fun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fun-vs-futon)
- **fut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fut-vs-futon)
- **felon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/felon-vs-futon)
- **fusion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fusion-vs-futon)
- **Fulton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fulton-vs-futon)
- **Fenton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fenton-vs-futon)
- **Felton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/felton-vs-futon)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ffuton`, `ftuon`, `fuotn`, `futno`, `futonn`, `futton`, `ufton`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/futon