Where does “북자이” come from?
북자이 (Korean) comes from Korean 북장, from Chinese 醬, from Japanese ちゃん, from Japanese -さん — honorific suffix.
Ancestry of “북자이”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Korean | 북장 | fermented soybean paste |
| 2 | Chinese | 醬 | — |
| 3 | Japanese | ちゃん | -chan; title affixed to animals |
| 4 | Japanese | -さん | honorific suffix |