Where does “俗語” come from?

俗語 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 俗, from Middle Chinese 俗, from Middle Chinese 字 — letter, symbol, character; character.

俗語 (Japanese): Slang; A slang, a slang word

Definitions

  1. Slang; A slang, a slang word

Ancestry of “俗語”, step by step

俗語 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 俗

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese俗worldliness; vulgarity; the laity, mundane...
2Middle Chinese俗—
3Middle Chinese字letter, symbol, character; character

via Japanese 語

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese語a word, term; a proverb; language of, -ese, -ish
2Chinese語—
Every word from Middle Chinese 字 →Every word from Middle Chinese 俗 →Every word from Japanese 俗 →