Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/(s/z)a-j

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *sa-y ⪤ za-y (Matisoff, STEDT); *z(l)a-y (Matisoff, 2003); *sa (Matisoff, 2003)

The palatal coda is perhaps a diminutive suffix (Matisoff, 1995).

🇨🇬, whence 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬, is a loan either from Old Chinese or from this Proto-Sino-Tibetan root itself.

Noun



 * 1) earth, sand, soil

Descendants

 * Old Chinese:  (B-S),  (ZS) ("sand")
 * Middle Chinese: sræ  ("sand")
 * Middle Chinese: sræ  ("sand")


 * Modern Mandarin
 * Beijing:
 * Yue
 * Cantonese:
 * Min Nan
 * Xiamen:
 * Tangkhulic
 * Sal
 * Jingpho [Kachin]: zai-bru
 * Himalayish
 * Tibeto-Kanauri
 * Bodic
 * Tibetan
 * Written:
 * Tangut-Qiang
 * Northen Tangut
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese:
 * *say² ("sand")
 * Burmish
 * Written:
 * Loloish
 * Central Loloish
 * Khomic
 * Central Loloish
 * Khomic
 * Khomic
 * Khomic