Where does “美人” come from?

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

美人 (Japanese): a beautiful woman, a beauty, a belle; a handsome...

Definitions

  1. a beautiful woman, a beauty, a belle; a handsome...

Ancestry of “美人”, step by step

美人 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese

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

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesegood, B

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesea person's face; a person's reputation
Every word from Proto-Japonic *pitəEvery word from Japanese