Where does “亜大陸” come from?

亜大陸 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 亜, from Middle Chinese 亞.

亜大陸 (Japanese): a subcontinent

Definitions

  1. a subcontinent

Ancestry of “亜大陸”, step by step

亜大陸 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 亜

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese亜"indicates a lower oxidation number": -ous
2Middle Chinese亞—

via Japanese 大陸

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese大陸a continent; China
Every word from Middle Chinese 亞 →Every word from Japanese 亜 →
亜大陸 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer