Where does “東” come from?

東 (Old Japanese) comes from Old Japanese 天, from Proto-Japonic *amay.

東 (Old Japanese): the east; the lands east of the 都

Definitions

  1. the east; the lands east of the 都

Ancestry of “東”, step by step

東 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Japanese 天

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Japanese天sky, heavens
2Proto-Japonic*amay—

via Old Japanese 端

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Japanese端edge, beginning; edge of something

Words derived from “東”

Every word from Proto-Japonic *amay →Every word from Old Japanese 天 →