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I've been looking at futon recently and there's a particularly kind called the
Shikibed or Shiki Futon. I was wondering where this "Shiki" was coming from.
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2013-06-11T03:40:13.140
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2013-06-11T05:07:08.413
question
etymology
Kanji and meaning behind Shikifuton?
According to [the Japanese Wikipedia
article](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B8%83%E5%9B%A3), the two parts of a
futon are the duvet or 掛け布団, and, what @Tony is shopping for, the mattress or
敷き布団.

Cheers.
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2013-06-11T04:01:36.730
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2013-06-11T04:01:36.730
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answer
敷き布団, or "shikibuton" refers to the bottom part of a futon, which
traditionally has two parts: the part you lie on and the part that you cover
it with, or basically the mattress and the blanket (or duvet if you want to go
there). The terms 敷き布団 and 掛け布団 are derived from their purposes. For example,
敷{し}く means to spread or lay something out, so the shikifuton is what you
spread on the floor. The 掛け布団 (kakebuton) is what you use to 掛ける, or to "put
on" in the sense of adding it on top. The respective kanji, 掛 and 敷, retain
these meanings.
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2013-06-11T05:07:08.413
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2013-06-11T05:07:08.413
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answer