Where does “虫歯” come from?

虫歯 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 歯, from Middle Chinese 齒.

虫歯 (Japanese): a bad tooth, dental caries, a cavity

Definitions

  1. a bad tooth, dental caries, a cavity

Ancestry of “虫歯”, step by step

虫歯 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 歯

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese歯tooth; age
2Middle Chinese齒—

via Japanese 虫

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese虫a bug, insect, worm; a serpent, snake; a worm
Every word from Middle Chinese 齒 →Every word from Japanese 歯 →