How did 面白い end up meaning "Interesting"?


面 by itself means "face", while 白 by itself means "white". How did these two
words combine together to mean "interesting"?




According to 語源由来辞典 ( <http://gogen-allguide.com/o/omoshiroi.html> ), 「面白い」 is
originated from 「面白し」. 「面」 used to mean "a sight/view" (the source says the
front of eyes) and 「白い」 used to mean "bright and clear." Then 「面白し」 later came
to mean "a light/bright sight/view" and then later "a beautiful sight/view".
It further came to mean "fun" or "comfortable", which represents a pleasant
feeling.

For your information, "interesting" better translates to 「興味深い」 to be accurate
although it is often roughly translated as 「面白い」. 「面白い」 has several meanings
with different nuances.




According to 語源由来辞典 ( <http://gogen-allguide.com/o/omoshiroi.html> ), 「面白い」 is
originated from 「面白し」. 「面」 used to mean "a sight/view" (the source says the
front of eyes) and 「白い」 used to mean "bright and clear." Then 「面白し」 later came
to mean "a light/bright sight/view" and then later "a beautiful sight/view".
It further came to mean "fun" or "comfortable", which represents a pleasant
feeling.

For your information, "interesting" better translates to 「興味深い」 to be accurate
although it is often roughly translated as 「面白い」. 「面白い」 has several meanings
with different nuances.

