Where does “言葉” come from?

言葉 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 言, from Middle Chinese 言.

言葉 (Japanese): a word, a term; language, speech

Definitions

  1. a word, a term; language, speech

Ancestry of “言葉”, step by step

言葉 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 言

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese言word; parole
2Middle Chinese言—

via Japanese 端

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese端an edge; the beginning or end of something

Words derived from “言葉”

Every word from Middle Chinese 言 →Every word from Japanese 言 →