Where does “yaku” come from?

yaku (English) comes from Japanese 役, from Middle Chinese 役.

yaku (English): A condition that scores points when met, usually in the form of a specific combination of tiles or cards

Definitions

  1. A condition that scores points when met, usually in the form of a specific combination of tiles or cards

Ancestry of “yaku”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese役role, service, use; hand, scoring combination;...
2Middle Chinese役—
Every word from Middle Chinese 役 →Every word from Japanese 役 →
yaku — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer