Where does “では” come from?
では (Japanese) comes from Japanese で, from Japanese ぜ, from Japanese ぞえ, from Japanese え, from Middle Chinese 衣.
では (Japanese): at, in a place; indicates means of action; well,...
Definitions
- at, in a place; indicates means of action; well,...
Ancestry of “では”, step by step
では traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese で
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | で | at; with, by, using; indicating the following... |
| 2 | Japanese | ぜ | sentence-ending particle signifying emphasis,... |
| 3 | Japanese | ぞえ | sentence-ending particle signifying emphasis, used to lightly press one's point, with affectionate overtones |
| 4 | Japanese | え | Alternative form of い |
| 5 | Middle Chinese | 衣 | — |