Where does “一寸法師” come from?

一寸法師 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 法師, from Old Japanese 法師, from Middle Chinese 法師.

一寸法師 (Japanese): the Issun-bōshi

Definitions

  1. the Issun-bōshi

Ancestry of “一寸法師”, step by step

一寸法師 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 法師

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese法師a Buddhist priest or monk, a bonze
2Old Japanese法師—
3Middle Chinese法師—

via Japanese 一寸

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese一寸one "sun": a unit of length equivalent to a tenth...
2Middle Chinese一寸—

via Japanese sun]]

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesesun]]—
Every word from Middle Chinese 法師 →Every word from Old Japanese 法師 →Every word from Japanese 法師 →