Where does “勝手” come from?

勝手 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 手, from Middle Chinese 手.

勝手 (Japanese): one's convenience, one's way; circumstances, a...

Definitions

  1. one's convenience, one's way; circumstances, a...

Ancestry of “勝手”, step by step

勝手 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 手

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese手a hand; a handle, grip; a paw, foreleg
2Middle Chinese手—

via Japanese 勝ち

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese勝ちvictory; tends to, liable to do
2Japanese勝つto win
Every word from Middle Chinese 手 →Every word from Japanese 手 →