Where does “四月” come from?
四月 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 月, from Old Japanese 月, from Proto-Japonic tukuy, from Proto-Japonic tuku.
四月 (Japanese): the month of April
Ancestry of “四月”, step by step
四月 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 月
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 月 | the moon; a natural satellite; moonlight,... |
| 2 | Old Japanese | 月 | the moon; a month; a menstrual cycle,... |
| 3 | Proto-Japonic | tukuy | moon |
| 4 | Proto-Japonic | tuku | — |
via Japanese 四
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 四 | four, 4; the fourth |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 四 | — |
| 3 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | *pV-lij | four |