Where does “素人” come from?

素人 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 人, from Proto-Japonic *pitə — one.

素人 (Japanese): amateur, novice

Definitions

  1. amateur, novice

Ancestry of “素人”, step by step

素人 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 人

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese人a person, human; an individual; mankind, people
2Proto-Japonic*pitəone

via Japanese 素

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese素raw material; bare; element
2Middle Chinese素—
Every word from Proto-Japonic *pitə →Every word from Japanese 人 →