Where does “萌” come from?

萌 (Chinese) comes from Japanese 萌え, from Japanese 萌える, from Japanese 萌ゆ — to bud, sprout.

Ancestry of “萌”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese萌えbudding, sprouting; "moe": feelings of affection...
2Japanese萌えるto bud, sprout; to be aroused; to feel or...
3Japanese萌ゆto bud, sprout
Every word from Japanese 萌ゆ →Every word from Japanese 萌える →Every word from Japanese 萌え →