Where does “天草” come from?

天草 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 天, from Old Japanese 天, from Proto-Japonic *amay.

天草 (Japanese): any of the red algae of the genus "Gelidium";...

Definitions

  1. any of the red algae of the genus "Gelidium";...

Ancestry of “天草”, step by step

天草 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 天

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese天the sky, the heavens; the area above a kitchen...
2Old Japanese天sky, heavens
3Proto-Japonic*amay—

via Japanese 草

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese草grass; a weed; a herb
2Middle Chinese草—

Words derived from “天草”

Every word from Proto-Japonic *amay →Every word from Old Japanese 天 →Every word from Japanese 天 →