Where does “東国” come from?

東国 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 東, from Old Japanese 東, from Old Japanese 天, from Proto-Japonic *amay.

東国 (Japanese): a country to the east

Definitions

  1. a country to the east

Ancestry of “東国”, step by step

東国 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 東

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese東the east; the Orient; an easterly
2Old Japanese東the east; the lands east of the 都
3Old Japanese天sky, heavens
4Proto-Japonic*amay—

via Japanese 国

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese国a land, a large place; a country in general, a...
2Old Japanese国—
Every word from Proto-Japonic *amay →Every word from Old Japanese 天 →Every word from Old Japanese 東 →