Where does “tja” come from?

tja (Swedish) comes from Swedish ja, from Old Norse já, from Proto-Germanic ja, from Proto-Indo-European yē — already.

tja (Swedish): hi! hiya!; an expression of doubt and...

Definitions

  1. hi! hiya!; an expression of doubt and...

Ancestry of “tja”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishjayes; a yes, an aye; a positive answer or vote;...
2Old Norsejáyes
3Proto-Germanicjayes; thus, so
4Proto-Indo-Europeanyēalready
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yē →Every word from Proto-Germanic ja →Every word from Old Norse já →