Za ? means "seat", and fu ? means reedmace (cattail, Typha spp.). A zafu is a seat stuffed with the fluffy, soft, downy fibres of the disintegrating reedmace seed heads. The Japanese zafu originates in China, where these meditation seats were originally filled with reedmace down.

The words zabuton, zafuton and futon are closely linked. The word zazen meaning "seated