Where does “yen” come from?

yen (Ido) comes from Esperanto jen, from German jenēr, from Middle High German jener, from Old High German jenēr, from Germanic *jain, from Proto-Germanic jainaz, from Proto-Indo-European i- — that; he; a pronomial stem.

yen (Ido): look here, behold, lo; here is, there is; here is

Definitions

  1. look here, behold, lo; here is, there is; here is

Ancestry of “yen”, step by step

yen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Esperanto jen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Esperantojenhere is, here are; lo, behold
2Germanjenērthat, that one
3Middle High Germanjener—
4Old High Germanjenērthat
5Germanic*jain—
6Proto-Germanicjainazthat over there, yon
7Proto-Indo-Europeani-that; he; a pronomial stem

via Japanese 円

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese円a round or circular object; a circle; roundness;...
2Chinese圓circular, round; yuan, yen, dollar; round
Every word from Proto-Indo-European i- →