Where does “おとぎ話” come from?

おとぎ話 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 御, from Middle Chinese 御.

おとぎ話 (Japanese): fairy tale

Definitions

  1. fairy tale

Ancestry of “おとぎ話”, step by step

おとぎ話 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 御

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese御"indicates that the is honorific"; often used to...
2Middle Chinese御—

via Japanese 話

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese話talking; speaking; speech; conversation; story;...
2Middle Chinese話—
Every word from Middle Chinese 御 →Every word from Japanese 御 →