Where does “tja” come from?

tja (Danish) comes from Danish ja, from Old Norse já, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.

tja (Danish): Expression of contemplation

Definitions

  1. Expression of contemplation

Ancestry of “tja”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishjayes
2Old Norsejáyes
3Proto-Germanicjayes; thus, so
4Proto-Indo-Europeanyēalready
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yē →Every word from Proto-Germanic ja →Every word from Old Norse já →