Where does “野鼠” come from?

野鼠 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 鼠, from Japanese nezumi.

野鼠 (Japanese): a field mouse, specifically either the small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus) or the large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus)

Definitions

a field mouse, specifically either the small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus) or the large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus)

Ancestry of “野鼠”, step by step

野鼠 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 鼠

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Japanese	鼠	a mouse or a rat; general term for members of...
2	Japanese	nezumi	—

via Japanese 野

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Japanese	野	an area, field; the hidden part of a structure;...
2	Middle Chinese	野	—

Every word from Japanese nezumi →Every word from Japanese 鼠 →