Where does “chữ cái” come from?
chữ cái (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chữ, from Proto-Vietic cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔ — grandchild.
chữ cái (Vietnamese): a letter
Ancestry of “chữ cái”, step by step
chữ cái traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Vietnamese chữ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | chữ | alphabet, writing system, script; letter,... |
| 2 | Proto-Vietic | cuːʔ | grandchild; father's younger brother |
| 3 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | cuuʔ | grandchild |
via Vietnamese cái
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | cái | a thing; a whatsit; the solid bits of a broth;... |
| 2 | Proto-Vietic | -keːʔ | woman, female |
Words derived from “chữ cái”