Where does “มะ” come from?

มะ (Thai) comes from Proto-Mon-Khmer maʔ, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan ma — no, not, negative, not have, none.

มะ (Thai): question particle; first element found in many...

Definitions

  1. question particle; first element found in many...

Ancestry of “มะ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Mon-Khmermaʔinsect; seed; mother
2Proto-Sino-Tibetanmano, not, negative, not have, none
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan ma →Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer maʔ →