Where does “菟” come from?

菟 (Chinese) comes from Proto-Sino-Tibetan k-la, from Proto-Mon-Khmer klaʔ — tiger.

Ancestry of “菟”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Sino-Tibetank-latiger
2Proto-Mon-Khmerklaʔtiger
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer klaʔ →Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan k-la →