Where does “-я” come from?

-я (Russian) comes from Proto-Slavic -ę, from Proto-Indo-European -ę.

-я (Russian): Noun-forming diminutive suffix used after a soft (palatalized) consonant

Definitions

  1. Noun-forming diminutive suffix used after a soft (palatalized) consonant

Ancestry of “-я”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavic-ęForms nouns for young animals and other...
2Proto-Indo-European-ę—

Words derived from “-я”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ę →Every word from Proto-Slavic -ę →