Where does “午後” come from?
午後 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 後, from Japanese 跡, from Japanese 足, from Old Japanese 足.
午後 (Japanese): afternoon, PM
Ancestry of “午後”, step by step
午後 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 後
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 後 | the back, the rear, behind; later, afterwards,... |
| 2 | Japanese | 跡 | a track or trace; evidence of something moving,... |
| 3 | Japanese | 足 | foot; 脚 leg |
| 4 | Old Japanese | 足 | — |
via Japanese 午
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 午 | noon; the {{w|Ox |Chinese zodiac Ox}} |
| 2 | Japanese | 馬 | a horse; a promoted bishop; a sawhorse: a... |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 馬 | — |