Translation guide
A heavy woven textile used as a wall hanging or for upholstery, often with pictorial designs. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is タペストリー, a loanword from English. Traditional Japanese woven hangings like 綴織 are more specific and less common in everyday language.
tapestry (wall hanging)
Refers to a piece of heavy fabric with a design, hung on a wall for decoration.
The most common and direct translation, used for both Western-style and modern decorative hangings.
A beautiful tapestry is hanging on the wall.
Traditional Japanese hand-woven tapestry, often with intricate designs. More specific and less common in casual conversation.
This tapestry was made by a craftsman in Kyoto.
General term for wall hanging, not necessarily woven. Can include tapestries, but also other decorative fabrics.
That wall hanging is hand-woven.
Heavy woven fabric used for covering furniture.
Used metaphorically to describe something rich and complex, like a tapestry of life or culture.
The loanword is also used metaphorically, similar to English. Attach to a noun to mean 'a tapestry of ...'.
This city is a tapestry of cultures.
A more literary expression meaning 'a pattern woven by ...'. Conveys the interwoven complexity.
For most everyday situations, タペストリー is the safest and most widely understood term. Use 綴織 only when referring specifically to traditional Japanese hand-woven tapestries.
つづれ織りのクッションを買いました。
I bought a cushion made of tapestry fabric.
Life is a tapestry of joy and sorrow.