Where does “手前” come from?

手前 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 前, from Middle Chinese 前.

手前 (Japanese): position that is just in front or before; in the...

Definitions

  1. position that is just in front or before; in the...

Ancestry of “手前”, step by step

手前 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 前

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese前the front; the past; previous
2Middle Chinese前—

via Japanese 手

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese手a hand; a handle, grip; a paw, foreleg
2Middle Chinese手—
Every word from Middle Chinese 前 →Every word from Japanese 前 →