Where does “sanakirju” come from?

sanakirju (Karelian) comes from Livvi kirju, from Proto-Finnic kirja — decoration, carving, pattern.

Ancestry of “sanakirju”, step by step

sanakirju traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Livvi kirju

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Livvikirjubook; pattern; literacy
2Proto-Finnickirjadecoration, carving, pattern

via Livvi sana

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Livvisana—
Every word from Proto-Finnic kirja →Every word from Livvi kirju →