Where does “제일” come from?

제일 (Korean) comes from Chinese 日, from Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k).

제일 (Korean): number one; the first or primary; most; -est

Definitions

  1. number one; the first or primary; most; -est

Ancestry of “제일”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese日the sun; day
2Sino-Tibetan*ku-ni(k)—
Every word from Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k) →Every word from Chinese 日 →