Where does “あ段” come from?

あ段 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 段, from Chinese 段.

あ段 (Japanese): the first and highest-graded column of the 五十音図, consisting of the ten kana あ/ア, か/カ, さ/サ, た/タ, な/ナ, は/ハ, ま/マ, や/ヤ, ら/ラ and わ/ワ

Definitions

  1. the first and highest-graded column of the 五十音図, consisting of the ten kana あ/ア, か/カ, さ/サ, た/タ, な/ナ, は/ハ, ま/マ, や/ヤ, ら/ラ and わ/ワ

Ancestry of “あ段”, step by step

あ段 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 段

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese段steps (up and down); stairs
2Chinese段—

via Japanese あ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseあexpresses surprise: Ah! Oh!; used to get...
2Japaneseあり有り existing; 蟻 ant
Every word from Chinese 段 →Every word from Japanese 段 →