Where does “兄弟” come from?
兄弟 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 兄, from Old Japanese あに, from Japanese の, from Old Japanese の, from Middle Chinese 能 — talent, ability.
兄弟 (Japanese): brothers; siblings; brothers and sisters;...
Definitions
- brothers; siblings; brothers and sisters;...
Ancestry of “兄弟”, step by step
兄弟 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 兄
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 兄 | elder brother; elder brother-in-law; Short for... |
| 2 | Old Japanese | あに | — |
| 3 | Japanese | の | genitive case marker; nominative case marker in a... |
| 4 | Old Japanese | の | plain, field |
| 5 | Middle Chinese | 能 | talent, ability |
via Chinese 兄弟
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 兄弟 | brother; brethren; brothers and sisters;... |
| 2 | Chinese | 兄 | — |
| 3 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | maŋ | big; old; elder |
| 4 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | *(s/r)-ma(ŋ/k) | — |