Where does “非” come from?
非 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 凡, from Middle Chinese 凡 — ordinary.
非 (Japanese): negative prefix: in-, non-, un-
Definitions
- negative prefix: in-, non-, un-
Ancestry of “非”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 凡 | mediocre, ordinary; mediocrity; dim, faint |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 凡 | ordinary |