Where does “下司” come from?

下司 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 下, from Middle Chinese 下.

下司 (Japanese): an inferior official; a petty official; an...

Definitions

  1. an inferior official; a petty official; an...

Ancestry of “下司”, step by step

下司 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesethe below; the lower portion, end; low in degree...
2Middle Chinese

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseofficial; government official
Every word from Middle Chinese Every word from Japanese
下司 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer