Where does “mengapa” come from?
mengapa (Indonesian) comes from Malay mengapa, from Malay meng-, from Proto-Malayic *mAN-, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *maN-, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *maN-, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maN-.
mengapa (Indonesian): why
Ancestry of “mengapa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Malay | mengapa | why |
| 2 | Malay | meng- | agent focus, frequently but erroneously called... |
| 3 | Proto-Malayic | *mAN- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Chamic | *maN- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan | *maN- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *maN- | — |