Where does “馬鹿” come from?

馬鹿 (Japanese) comes from Sanskrit मोह, from Proto-Indo-Iranian máwǰʰas, from Proto-Indo-Iranian mawǰʰ- ~ mawgʰ- — to err, to be foolish, to deviate.

馬鹿 (Japanese): foolish, idiotic, stupid, ridiculous; useless,...

Definitions

  1. foolish, idiotic, stupid, ridiculous; useless,...

Ancestry of “馬鹿”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritमोहloss of consciousness, bewilderment, perplexity,...
2Proto-Indo-Iranianmáwǰʰas—
3Proto-Indo-Iranianmawǰʰ- ~ mawgʰ-to err, to be foolish, to deviate

Words derived from “馬鹿”

Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian mawǰʰ- ~ mawgʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian máwǰʰas →Every word from Sanskrit मोह →