Where does “” come from?

四 (Japanese) comes from Middle Chinese 四, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij — four.

(Japanese): four, 4; the fourth

Definitions

  1. four, 4; the fourth

Ancestry of “”, step by step

traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Chinese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Chinese
2Proto-Sino-Tibetan*pV-lijfour

via Old Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Japanesefour, 4
2Proto-Japonicfour

Words derived from “

Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lijEvery word from Middle Chinese