Where does “मैं” come from?
मैं (Old Hindi) comes from Sauraseni Apabhramsa मइं, from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀫𑀏, from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀫𑀬𑀸, from Sanskrit मया, from Proto-Indo-Iranian máyaH, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.
मैं (Old Hindi): I
Ancestry of “मैं”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sauraseni Apabhramsa | मइं | accusative singular of हउं |
| 2 | Sauraseni Prakrit | 𑀫𑀏 | — |
| 3 | Ashokan Prakrit | 𑀫𑀬𑀸 | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | मया | medical treatment; instrumental singular of... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | máyaH | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |