Where does “最近” come from?

最近 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 最, from Proto-Indo-European sai-.

最近 (Japanese): the latest; the most recent; nowadays; recently

Definitions

  1. the latest; the most recent; nowadays; recently

Ancestry of “最近”, step by step

最近 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 最

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese最most, greatest
2Proto-Indo-Europeansai-—

via Japanese 近

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese近near; close; close; near
2Middle Chinese近—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sai- →Every word from Japanese 最 →