Where does “châu Á” come from?

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

Ancestry of “châu Á”, step by step

châu Á traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese châu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechâua province in ancient China and its colonies;...
2Proto-Vieticcuːʔgrandchild; father's younger brother
3Proto-Mon-Khmercuuʔgrandchild

via Vietnamese Á

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnameseÁAsian
2Chinese亞—

via Chinese Mandarin 亞洲

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese Mandarin亞洲—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔ →