Where does “大” come from?
大 (Japanese) comes from Old Japanese 大, from Proto-Japonic əpə — big, large; many.
大 (Japanese): big, large; the large part of; arch-
Definitions
- big, large; the large part of; arch-
Ancestry of “大”, step by step
大 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Japanese 大
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Japanese | 大 | big, large; large |
| 2 | Proto-Japonic | əpə | big, large; many |
via Middle Chinese 大
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 大 | great |