Where does “外人” come from?
外人 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 人, from Proto-Japonic *pitə — one.
外人 (Japanese): outsider; an estranged, unfamiliar person;...
Definitions
- outsider; an estranged, unfamiliar person;...
Ancestry of “外人”, step by step
外人 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 人
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 人 | a person, human; an individual; mankind, people |
| 2 | Proto-Japonic | *pitə | one |
via Japanese 疎い
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 疎い | unacquainted |
via Middle Chinese 外人
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 外人 | — |