Where does “二枚目” come from?

二枚目 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 二, from Middle Chinese 二 — two.

二枚目 (Japanese): the second sheet or other flat thing

Definitions

  1. the second sheet or other flat thing

Ancestry of “二枚目”, step by step

二枚目 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 二

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese二two, 2; second; two
2Middle Chinese二two

via Japanese 目

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese目an order in biology: smaller than a class, bigger...
2Middle Chinese目—

via Japanese 枚

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese枚an object that is thin and flat
Every word from Middle Chinese 二 →Every word from Japanese 二 →