Where does “年上” come from?

年上 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 上, from Old Japanese うえ, from Proto-Japonic upay, from Sanskrit उपाय, from Sanskrit उप-, from Proto-Indo-Aryan upa-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian upa-, from Proto-Indo-European upo — under, up from under; up from under, over; up,...

年上 (Japanese): elder-ness, seniority: the state of being older...

Definitions

  1. elder-ness, seniority: the state of being older...

Ancestry of “年上”, step by step

年上 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesethe above; the top; the surface of
2Old Japaneseうえ
3Proto-Japonicupayabove, over
4Sanskritउपाय.
5Sanskritउप-towards; near, with; under, below
6Proto-Indo-Aryanupa-
7Proto-Indo-Iranianupa-towards
8Proto-Indo-Europeanupounder, up from under; up from under, over; up,...

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesea year; a grade, a school year; grain,...
2Middle Chinese
3Middle Chinese
Every word from Proto-Indo-European upoEvery word from Sanskrit उप-Every word from Sanskrit उपाय