Where does “怪獣” come from?

怪獣 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 怪, from Middle Chinese 怪 — strange, fantastic.

怪獣 (Japanese): monster

Definitions

  1. monster

Ancestry of “怪獣”, step by step

怪獣 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 怪

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese怪strangeness
2Middle Chinese怪strange, fantastic

via Japanese 獣

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese獣an animal covered in fur, a beast; a beast; beast
2Middle Chinese獸beast

Words derived from “怪獣”

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