*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kango

From Japanese 漢(かん)語(ご) (kango), from Middle Chinese 漢語 (MC xanH ngjoX, “Han, Chinese + speech, language”), compare modern Mandarin 漢語/汉语 (Hànyǔ, “Chinese language”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A Sino-Japanese word, a Japanese word of Chinese origin or a Japanese word coined along Chinese lines.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Japanese 漢(かん)語(ご) (kango), from Middle Chinese 漢語 (MC xanH ngjoX, “Han, Chinese + speech, language”), compare modern Mandarin 漢語/汉语 (Hànyǔ, “Chinese language”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "漢%語",
        "2": "かん%ご"
      },
      "expansion": "漢(かん)語(ご) (kango)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ltc",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ltc-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "漢語",
        "2": "Han, Chinese + speech, language",
        "id": "1,1"
      },
      "expansion": "漢語 (MC xanH ngjoX, “Han, Chinese + speech, language”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cmn",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "漢語",
        "2": "Chinese language"
      },
      "expansion": "漢語/汉语 (Hànyǔ, “Chinese language”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "漢(かん)語(ご)",
      "漢語#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "漢語",
      "漢語#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "漢語",
      "漢語#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "汉语",
      "汉语#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Sino-Japanese word, a Japanese word of Chinese origin or a Japanese word coined along Chinese lines."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9ee876f424ed1d4f2b4b33ec04c4c6d9b1c25ef8fe723393479ae21867b1518a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "963be4306f9ab0b6f98bbf8274527a0a86078af59d466390ee513b13a4a60228",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1766340
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for kango →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a2FuZ28