Where does “水兵” come from?

水兵 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 水, from Old Japanese 水, from Proto-Japonic *mentu — water.

水兵 (Japanese): a sailor

Definitions

  1. a sailor

Ancestry of “水兵”, step by step

水兵 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 水

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese水water; drinking water; a fluid, liquid
2Old Japanese水water
3Proto-Japonic*mentuwater

via Japanese 兵

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese兵a soldier; a war machine; a weapon; a battle, a...
2Middle Chineseへい—
3Middle Chinese兵—
Every word from Proto-Japonic *mentu →Every word from Old Japanese 水 →Every word from Japanese 水 →