Where does “чей” come from?
чей (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic чьи, from Proto-Slavic čьjь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kijas.
чей (Russian): whose; anyone's
Ancestry of “чей”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | чьи | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | čьjь | whose |
| 3 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | *kijas | — |