Where does “女の子” come from?

女の子 (Japanese) comes from Japanese の, from Old Japanese の, from Middle Chinese 能 — talent, ability.

女の子 (Japanese): a child that is female: a girl; a woman

Definitions

  1. a child that is female: a girl; a woman

Ancestry of “女の子”, step by step

女の子 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese の

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseのgenitive case marker; nominative case marker in a...
2Old Japaneseのplain, field
3Middle Chinese能talent, ability

via Japanese 子

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese子a child; a girl, especially a dear or desired...
2Japanese鼠a mouse or a rat; general term for members of...
3Japanesenezumi—

via Japanese 女

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese女a woman; a wife; a mistress, concubine
2Middle Chinese女—

Words derived from “女の子”

Every word from Middle Chinese 能 →Every word from Old Japanese の →Every word from Japanese の →