Where does “男の子” come from?
男の子 (Japanese) comes from Japanese の, from Old Japanese の, from Middle Chinese 能 — talent, ability.
男の子 (Japanese): a boy
Ancestry of “男の子”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | の | genitive case marker; nominative case marker in a... |
| 2 | Old Japanese | の | — |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 能 | talent, ability |