Where does “俄” come from?
俄 (Chinese) comes from Manchu ᠣᡵᠣᠰ, from Classical Mongolian ᠣᠷᠤᠰ᠋, from Middle Mongolian 斡羅思, from Old East Slavic Русь, from Finnish ruotsi, from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old Swedish roþs-, from Old Norse róðr — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.
Ancestry of “俄”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Manchu | ᠣᡵᠣᠰ | Russian |
| 2 | Classical Mongolian | ᠣᠷᠤᠰ᠋ | — |
| 3 | Middle Mongolian | 斡羅思 | — |
| 4 | Old East Slavic | Русь | Rus; Ruthenia |
| 5 | Finnish | ruotsi | Swedish |
| 6 | Proto-Finnic | *roocci | — |
| 7 | Old Swedish | roþs- | related to rowing |
| 8 | Old Norse | róðr | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | rōþrą | oar; rudder |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁reh₁- | to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare |