Where does “四畳半” come from?
四畳半 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 四, from Middle Chinese 四, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij — four.
四畳半 (Japanese): a layout of four full-sized and one half-sized tatami for a Japanese-style room
Definitions
- a layout of four full-sized and one half-sized tatami for a Japanese-style room
Ancestry of “四畳半”, step by step
四畳半 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
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 |