Where does “漢字” come from?

漢字 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 漢, from Middle Chinese 漢 — Han dynasty, China.

漢字 (Japanese): kanji

Definitions

  1. kanji

Ancestry of “漢字”, step by step

漢字 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 漢

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese漢man; element in compounds, referring to things...
2Middle Chinese漢Han dynasty, China

via Japanese 字

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese字letter, character; handwriting, penmanship; a...
2Middle Chinese字letter, symbol, character; character

via Middle Chinese 漢字

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Chinese漢字—

Words derived from “漢字”

Every word from Middle Chinese 漢 →Every word from Japanese 漢 →