Where does “ken” come from?

ken (Indonesian) comes from Javanese ꦏꦺꦤ꧀, from Old Javanese ken, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kain.

ken (Indonesian): honorific for male and female children; fist

Definitions

  1. honorific for male and female children; fist

Ancestry of “ken”, step by step

ken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Javanese ꦏꦺꦤ꧀

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Javaneseꦏꦺꦤ꧀kebaya: A traditional blouse worn by women in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and Southern Thailand
2Old Javanesekengarment worn around the lower part of the body
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*kain—

via Japanese 拳

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese拳a fist; any of the martial arts that use the...
2Middle Chinese拳—
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kain →Every word from Old Javanese ken →Every word from Javanese ꦏꦺꦤ꧀ →