Where does “一言” come from?

一言 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 一, from Japanese 始め, from Japanese 始める — begin; start; initiate; originate.

一言 (Japanese): a word, a few words; to say a few words

Definitions

  1. a word, a few words; to say a few words

Ancestry of “一言”, step by step

一言 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 一

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese一one, 1; "term relating to the number one"; unity
2Japanese始めbeginning, the start of an activity or time...
3Japanese始めるbegin; start; initiate; originate

via Japanese 言

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese言word; parole
2Middle Chinese言—
Every word from Japanese 始める →Every word from Japanese 始め →Every word from Japanese 一 →