Where does “không ngờ” come from?

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

không ngờ (Vietnamese): unexpected

Definitions

  1. unexpected

Ancestry of “không ngờ”, step by step

không ngờ 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 ngờ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengờto doubt; to suspect; to be suspicious; to...
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan (g/k)uŋ →Every word from Chinese 空 →Every word from Vietnamese không →