Where does “南京” come from?

南京 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 南, from Middle Chinese 南.

南京 (Japanese): pumpkin, squash; a southern capital

Definitions

  1. pumpkin, squash; a southern capital

Ancestry of “南京”, step by step

南京 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 南

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese南the south; a southerly, south wind; to go south
2Middle Chinese南—

via Japanese 京

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese京capital; Short for 東京; Short for 京都
2Middle Chinese京capital

via Chinese Mandarin 南京

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese Mandarin南京—

Words derived from “南京”

Every word from Middle Chinese 南 →Every word from Japanese 南 →
南京 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer