Where does “北極熊” come from?
北極熊 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 熊, from Old Japanese くま, from Old Korean 고마 — bear.
北極熊 (Japanese): a polar bear
Ancestry of “北極熊”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 熊 | a bear; a bear, an otter |
| 2 | Old Japanese | くま | — |
| 3 | Old Korean | 고마 | bear |