Where does “生日” come from?
生日 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 日, from Old Japanese 日, from Proto-Japonic *pi — day, sun.
生日 (Japanese): a lucky day, auspicious day; one's birthday
Definitions
- a lucky day, auspicious day; one's birthday
Ancestry of “生日”, step by step
生日 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 日
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 日 | Sunday |
| 2 | Old Japanese | 日 | the sun; sunlight, sunshine; daytime, daylight |
| 3 | Proto-Japonic | *pi | day, sun |
via Chinese 生日
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 生日 | birthday |
via Japanese 生く
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 生く | to live; to exist; to keep alive; to grow or... |