Where does “phở” come from?
phở (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese vô, from Vietnamese vụ, from Chinese 務, from Sino-Tibetan *mow.
phở (Vietnamese): pho; to clear
Ancestry of “phở”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | vô | to enter; to go into; to toast; emphasizing... |
| 2 | Vietnamese | vụ | season; case, affair; specialized department... |
| 3 | Chinese | 務 | — |
| 4 | Sino-Tibetan | *mow | — |