Where does “天竺鼠” come from?
天竺鼠 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 天竺, from Middle Chinese 天竺, from Sanskrit हिन्दु, from Hindi हिंदू, from Persian هندو, from Middle Persian hndwk', from Middle Persian hnd, from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 — India; people living beyond the Indus.
天竺鼠 (Japanese): guinea pig
Ancestry of “天竺鼠”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 天竺 | foreign or exotic; overly spicy or hot; the sky,... |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 天竺 | — |
| 3 | Sanskrit | हिन्दु | — |
| 4 | Hindi | हिंदू | A Hindu; Hindu |
| 5 | Persian | هندو | a Hindu, a practitioner of India's indigenous... |
| 6 | Middle Persian | hndwk' | an Indian |
| 7 | Middle Persian | hnd | India |
| 8 | Old Persian | 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 | India; people living beyond the Indus |