Where does “絵文字” come from?

絵文字 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 絵, from Middle Chinese 繪.

絵文字 (Japanese): pictograph; emoji: emoticons that originated in...

Definitions

  1. pictograph; emoji: emoticons that originated in...

Ancestry of “絵文字”, step by step

絵文字 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 絵

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese絵picture, painting; drawing, sketch
2Middle Chinese繪—

via Japanese 文字

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese文字a letter, a character; script, writing system; a...
2Middle Chinese文字—

Words derived from “絵文字”

Every word from Middle Chinese 繪 →Every word from Japanese 絵 →