Where does “天竺” come from?
天竺 (Middle Chinese) comes from Sanskrit हिन्दु, from Hindi हिंदू, from Persian هندو, from Middle Persian hndwk', from Middle Persian hnd, from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 — India; people living beyond the Indus.
Ancestry of “天竺”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | हिन्दु | — |
| 2 | Hindi | हिंदू | A Hindu; Hindu |
| 3 | Persian | هندو | a Hindu, a practitioner of India's indigenous... |
| 4 | Middle Persian | hndwk' | an Indian |
| 5 | Middle Persian | hnd | India |
| 6 | Old Persian | 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 | India; people living beyond the Indus |