Where does “元素” come from?

元素 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 元, from Japanese 始め, from Japanese 始める — begin; start; initiate; originate.

元素 (Japanese): element, chemical element

Definitions

  1. element, chemical element

Ancestry of “元素”, step by step

元素 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 元

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese元cause, origin; basis, foundation; cost
2Japanese始めbeginning, the start of an activity or time...
3Japanese始めるbegin; start; initiate; originate

via Japanese 素

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese素raw material; bare; element
2Middle Chinese素—

Words derived from “元素”

Every word from Japanese 始める →Every word from Japanese 始め →Every word from Japanese 元 →