Where does “tja” come from?
tja (Dutch) comes from Dutch ja, from Middle Dutch ja, from Old Dutch jā, from Proto-West Germanic jā, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.
tja (Dutch): hmm, yeah well
Ancestry of “tja”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | ja | yes; yes! |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | ja | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | jā | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | jā | yes; thus, so |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ja | yes; thus, so |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | yē | already |