Confucius (English)

Where does "Confucius" come from?

The English name 'Confucius' was borrowed from Latin 'Confucius'[1]. The Latin form itself originated from Mandarin '孔夫子'[1], meaning 'Master Kong'[2]. This Latinized version was coined by Jesuit missionaries to China during the 16th century[2].

Full etymology tree

• Confucius (English), 'An influential Chinese philosopher who lived 551 B.C.E. – 479 B.C.E.; personal name Kong Qiu (孔丘).'
  • borrowed Confucius (Latin), 'Confucius'
    • derived 孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ) (Mandarin)

Ancestors

• Confucius (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• Confucian (English)
• Confucian (English)
• Confucianism (English)
• Confucianist (English)
• Confucianist (English)

Sources

1. Confucius (English) - Wiktionary
2. Confucius (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

More words starting with C

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris