Where does “水商売” come from?

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

水商売 (Japanese): bar and restaurant business; chancy trade;...

Definitions

  1. bar and restaurant business; chancy trade;...

Ancestry of “水商売”, step by step

水商売 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 商売

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese商売business; occupation

Words derived from “水商売”

Every word from Proto-Japonic *mentu →Every word from Old Japanese 水 →Every word from Japanese 水 →