Where does “文字化け” come from?

文字化け (Japanese) comes from Japanese 文字, from Middle Chinese 文字.

文字化け (Japanese): corrupt characters or letters, especially from...

Definitions

  1. corrupt characters or letters, especially from...

Ancestry of “文字化け”, step by step

文字化け traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 文字

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese文字a letter, a character; script, writing system; a...
2Middle Chinese文字—

via Japanese 化ける

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese化けるtransformation, taking the form of; monster;...

Words derived from “文字化け”

Every word from Middle Chinese 文字 →Every word from Japanese 文字 →