Slippah vs Flip Flop vs Sandal: What's the Difference?

Slippah, flip flop, thong, zori, sandal. Same shoe, many names, and a little bit of island culture wrapped up in the word you pick. Here is the difference, fast.

What is a slippah?

“Slippah” is the Hawaiian pidgin word for flip flop, the open, thong style sandal locals wear just about everywhere. So a slippah is a flip flop. The word is the local twist. On the mainland, “slippers” usually means a fuzzy indoor house shoe, but in Hawaiʻi, slippahs are the everyday rubber or leather sandals you live in.

Flip flop vs slippah

No real difference in the shoe itself. “Flip flop” is the mainland and global term, named for the flip flop sound they make when you walk. “Slippah” is what you call them in Hawaiʻi. Use either and people know what you mean, but say slippahs in the islands and you sound local.

Where does “zori” come from?

The slippah traces back to the Japanese zori, a woven thong sandal brought to Hawaiʻi by Japanese immigrants. It took off after World War II, when imported sandals dried up and local makers stepped in, some even cutting soles from old car tires. By the 1950s and 60s the rubber slippah was the islands’ go to footwear, and it never left.

Slippah vs sandal

“Sandal” is the broad category, any open shoe with straps. A slippah is one specific kind of sandal: the thong style with a strap between your toes. So every slippah is a sandal, but not every sandal is a slippah.

The short version

• Slippah = flip flop, in Hawaiian pidgin.
• Flip flop = the same shoe, mainland name.
• Zori = the Japanese woven thong sandal it came from.
• Sandal = the whole open shoe family.

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