Where does “白猫” come from?

白猫 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 白, from Middle Chinese 白.

白猫 (Japanese): a white cat

Definitions

  1. a white cat

Ancestry of “白猫”, step by step

白猫 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 白

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese白the color white; innocence; a white go stone
2Middle Chinese白—

via Japanese 猫

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese猫a cat
2Old Japaneseねこ—
Every word from Middle Chinese 白 →Every word from Japanese 白 →