Etymology Explorer › Japanese

Where does “兄” come from?

兄 (Japanese) comes from Old Japanese あに, from Japanese の, from Old Japanese の, from Middle Chinese 能 — talent, ability.

兄 (Japanese): elder brother; elder brother-in-law; Short for...

Definitions

  1. elder brother; elder brother-in-law; Short for...

Ancestry of “兄”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Japaneseあに—
2Japaneseのgenitive case marker; nominative case marker in a...
3Old Japaneseの—
4Middle Chinese能talent, ability

Words derived from “兄”

  • ani-deshi
  • 兄弟
  • 兄弟姉妹
  • 兄弟子
Every word from Middle Chinese 能 →