Where does “đáng yêu” come from?

đáng yêu (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese đáng, from Proto-Vietic taŋʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer kt₂aŋ — bitter.

đáng yêu (Vietnamese): cute; adorable

Definitions

  1. cute; adorable

Ancestry of “đáng yêu”, step by step

đáng yêu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese đáng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđángworthy, worth; to deserve, to merit
2Proto-Vietictaŋʔbitter
3Proto-Mon-Khmerkt₂aŋbitter

via Vietnamese yêu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseyêuto love romantically; to love non-romantically
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer kt₂aŋ →Every word from Proto-Vietic taŋʔ →Every word from Vietnamese đáng →