Urawaza
Japanese term that refers to a clever or unconventional solution or hack that solves a problem in a simple and efficient way, often using everyday items or resources.
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Origin
The Japanese term urawaza (裏技) combines ura (裏, "back/hidden") and waza (技, "technique"), meaning "secret trick." Urawaza predates modern life hacks by centuries, originating in Japanese folk traditions of oral knowledge-sharing. Post-WWII, urawaza helped the population maximize scarce resources. Originally referring to secret video game techniques in the 1980s, the term expanded to everyday life hacks. The Japanese TV series Ito-ke no Shokutaku (The Ito Family Dinner Table) popularized lifestyle urawaza, incorporating viewer-submitted tips.
Updated February 22, 2026