Where does “자벌레” come from?

자벌레 (Korean) comes from Korean 자, from Chinese 者.

자벌레 (Korean): inchworm, measuring worm

Definitions

  1. inchworm, measuring worm

Ancestry of “자벌레”, step by step

자벌레 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 자

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean자letter, character; a person; 10
2Chinese者—

via Korean 벌레

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean벌레bug, insect
2Proto-KoreanpeLkeybug, insect
Every word from Chinese 者 →Every word from Korean 자 →