Where does “hva” come from?

hva (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Danish hvad, from Old Norse hvat, from Proto-Germanic hwat, from Proto-Indo-European kʷód, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.

hva (Norwegian Bokmål): what

Definitions

  1. what

Ancestry of “hva”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishhvadwhat
2Old Norsehvatwhat
3Proto-Germanichwatnominative/accusative singular neuter of *hwaz
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷódwhat
5Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷód →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwat →