Where does “không dám” come from?

không dám (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese không, from Chinese 空, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan (g/k)uŋ — hole; orifice; hole; orifice; inner part.

không dám (Vietnamese): you're welcome; not at all; I wouldn't dare do...

Definitions

  1. you're welcome; not at all; I wouldn't dare do...

Ancestry of “không dám”, step by step

không dám traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese không

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekhôngnot; idly, without doing anything; not have; to...
2Chinese空empty, hollow
3Proto-Sino-Tibetan(g/k)uŋhole; orifice; hole; orifice; inner part

via Vietnamese dám

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesedámto dare to do something; to be likely to happen;...
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan (g/k)uŋ →Every word from Chinese 空 →Every word from Vietnamese không →