Where does “くじら座” come from?

くじら座 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 座, from Middle Chinese 座.

くじら座 (Japanese): Cetus

Definitions

  1. Cetus

Ancestry of “くじら座”, step by step

くじら座 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 座

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese座names of constellations; names of theaters
2Middle Chinese座—

via Japanese 鯨

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese鯨a whale
2Old Japaneseいさ—
Every word from Middle Chinese 座 →Every word from Japanese 座 →