Etymology

nunchaku

nun·cha·ku
N1U1N1C3H4A1K5U1

Today it means: A weapon originating from Okinawa, Japan, consisting of two sticks joined by a chain or cord. Full definition →

First used 20th c.Okinawan 双節棍 ← Hokkien 兩節棍 /两节棍
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The story

  1. Hokkien · derived from兩節棍 /两节棍
  2. Okinawan · borrowed from双節棍
  3. English todaynunchaku

Borrowed from Okinawan 双節棍 (nunchaku) (compare Japanese 双節棍 (nunchaku)), probably from Hokkien 兩節棍 /两节棍 (nn̄g-chat-kùn, literally “two-segment cudgel”), from 兩 /两 (nn̄g, “two”) + 節 /节 (chat, “joint; link; segment”) + 棍 (kùn, “cudgel; stick”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. A weapon originating from Okinawa, Japan, consisting of two sticks joined by a chain or cord.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.