もろこし

Etymology 1
→ → * →

From, first attested in the  (c. 759 ).

Originally a compound of, the of , by reinterpretation of   from  of. The compound refers to the, a collective name for various ethnic groups which inhabited Southern China.

The kanji spellings 唐土 and 唐 are, literally meaning “Tang land” and “Tang” respectively.

Proper noun

 * 1)  China

Noun

 * 1)  any objects imported from China

Etymology 2


Clipping of, with the shortened reading then re-applied to the entire original kanji compounds 唐黍 and 蜀黍.

Noun

 * 1) sorghum
 * 2) maize, corn
 * 1) maize, corn

Usage notes
The term is more common for the  sense.