Where does “biết chữ” come from?

biết chữ (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chữ, from Proto-Vietic cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔ — grandchild.

biết chữ (Vietnamese): literate

Definitions

  1. literate

Ancestry of “biết chữ”, step by step

biết chữ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese chữ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechữalphabet, writing system, script; letter,...
2Proto-Vieticcuːʔgrandchild; father's younger brother
3Proto-Mon-Khmercuuʔgrandchild

via Vietnamese biết

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesebiếtto know; to be aware of; to learn about; to...
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔ