Where does “炭水化物” come from?

炭水化物 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 炭, from Middle Chinese 炭.

炭水化物 (Japanese): carbohydrates

Definitions

  1. carbohydrates

Ancestry of “炭水化物”, step by step

炭水化物 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 炭

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese炭charcoal; coal
2Middle Chinese炭—

via Japanese 水化物

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese水化物hydrate
Every word from Middle Chinese 炭 →Every word from Japanese 炭 →
炭水化物 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer