Where does “ја” come from?

ја (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German Ja, 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.

ја (Serbo-Croatian): I; me; yeah

Definitions

  1. I; me; yeah

Ancestry of “ја”, step by step

ја traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Ja

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanJaa yes
2Middle High Germanja—
3Old High Germanjā—
4Proto-West Germanicjāyes; thus, so
5Proto-Germanicjayes; thus, so
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyēalready

via Proto-Slavic (j)azъ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavic(j)azъI
2Proto-Balto-Slavicēź-—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yē →Every word from Proto-Germanic ja →Every word from Proto-West Germanic jā →