Where does “ja” come from?
ja (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch ja, from Old Dutch jā, from Proto-West Germanic jā, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.
ja (Dutch): yes; yes!
Ancestry of “ja”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | ja | — |
| 2 | Old Dutch | jā | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | jā | yes; thus, so |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ja | yes; thus, so |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | yē | already |