Where does “小牛” come from?

小牛 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 牛, from Middle Chinese 牛.

小牛 (Japanese): calf

Definitions

  1. calf

Ancestry of “小牛”, step by step

小牛 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 牛

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese牛cow, bull, ox, cattle; beef; Ox
2Middle Chinese牛—

via Japanese 小

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese小smallness; small size, small; Short for 小の月;...
2Old Japaneseささ—
Every word from Middle Chinese 牛 →Every word from Japanese 牛 →
小牛 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer