randoseru

English

Etymology

From Japanese ランドセル, itself from German Landser or Dutch ransel.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹandə(ʊ)ˌsɛɹuː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɑndoʊˌsɛɹu/

Noun

randoseru (plural randoseru)

1. A type of backpack worn by Japanese elementary schoolchildren, made of leather or leatherette.
   • 1992, Yoshio Terasawa, Through my eyes: Wall Street, Washington, D.C., and Japan's Diet‎^[1], Japan Times:

     "The randoseru is an indispensable object in Japan which gives poetic charm to spring,” I explained to Leigh Hollywood, but I don't think he understood.

   • 2007 August 6, Ed -- The Tall Guy, “BB: Looking for a bag...”, in alt.callahans‎^[2]:

     It was an unconstructed ballistic nylon (I think) messenger bag, with a back pocket that unzipped to a set of padded shoulder straps that turned it into something roughly the same shape as a randoseru.

   • 2020 September 29, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café‎^[3], Pan Macmillan UK, →ISBN:

     'Hello, Miki darling! Where did you get that wonderful randoseru?' Kyoko asked.

   • 2024 July 15, Motoko Rich, Noriko Hayashi, “The Book Bag That Binds Japanese Society”, in The New York Times‎^[4], →ISSN:

     Seeking to capture an iconic moment mirrored across generations of Japanese family photo albums, the children, almost all of them carrying randoseru, lined up with their parents to pose for pictures in front of the school gate.