Where does “日本” come from?
日本 (Hainanese) comes from Middle Chinese 日本 — Land of the Rising Sun.
Ancestry of “日本”, step by step
日本 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Chinese 日本
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 日本 | Land of the Rising Sun |
via Late Middle Chinese 日本
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Middle Chinese | 日本 | — |