Where does “字体” come from?

字体 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 字, from Middle Chinese 字 — letter, symbol, character; character.

字体 (Japanese): the form of a character; handwriting

Definitions

  1. the form of a character; handwriting

Ancestry of “字体”, step by step

字体 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 字

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese字letter, character; handwriting, penmanship; a...
2Middle Chinese字letter, symbol, character; character

via Japanese 体

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese体In general: the body, e.g. of a human or animal;...
2Middle Chinese體—

Words derived from “字体”

Every word from Middle Chinese 字 →Every word from Japanese 字 →
字体 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer