Where does “jā” come from?

jā (Latvian) comes from Middle High German ja, from Old High German jā, from Proto-West Germanic jā, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.

jā (Latvian): yes; yes? right?; yes?

Definitions

  1. yes; yes? right?; yes?

Ancestry of “jā”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanja—
2Old High Germanjā—
3Proto-West Germanicjāyes; thus, so
4Proto-Germanicjayes; thus, so
5Proto-Indo-Europeanyēalready
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yē →Every word from Proto-Germanic ja →Every word from Proto-West Germanic jā →