Meaning in the sources
Source-reportedMeaning: “archer's left-wrist protector” + “picture, drawing”
First attested around the 12th century. Originally a compound of 鞆 (tomo, “archer's left-wrist protector”) + 絵 (e, “picture, drawing”). The use of the 巴 kanji is possibly for its resemblance to a big snake.
Sources for this account (3)
- Wiktionary: 巴CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
- JMnedict entry 5587139CC-BY-SA-4.0 · rev. 2026-10-15 · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Turkish Wiktionary: 巴CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
