自来也
Japanese edit
| Kanji in this term | ||
|---|---|---|
| 自 | 来 | 也 |
| じ Grade: 2 |
らい Grade: 2 |
や Jinmeiyō |
| goon | ||
| Alternative spellings |
|---|
| 自來也 (kyūjitai) 児雷也 |
Etymology edit
Generally believed to be from the nickname of a legendary Chinese thief 我來也 recorded in 《諧史》 (13th century).[1][2] The thief was said to write "I have come" ("我來也") everywhere he committed theft. 我 was changed to a near-synonym 自 in the earliest Japanese spin-off 自来也説話 (1806).