Where does “я” come from?
я (Ukrainian) comes from Ukrainian яз, from Old Church Slavonic ꙗзъ, from Proto-Slavic (j)azъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic ēź-, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.
я (Ukrainian): I; ego
Ancestry of “я”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ukrainian | яз | — |
| 2 | Old Church Slavonic | ꙗзъ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | (j)azъ | I |
| 4 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | ēź- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |