Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/kroj

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *kwroy (Coblin, 1986)
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *kroj (Matisoff, STEDT; Benedict, 1972; Coblin, 1986)

Old Chinese and  both come from this root, but are characterized by a different treatment of the preinitial segment. While the latter regularly lost its preinitial (whose presence is testified by 🇨🇬), the former, through a dialectal pronunciation *k.rˁoj > *kˁroj, maintained the velar articulation. In Mandarin the first of these two characters has two pronunciations; besides wō, there's also guā, which shows a more regular development. Baxter and Sagart (2014: 161-164) report many examples of character doublets, like these two, where Old Chinese initial clusters evolve differently due to dialectal influences, cf. ~ < OC *p.rut, distinguished by the reflex of the onset.

is attested much earlier than. Of the two, it is the only one to be glossed in the ' and it is also found in the '. The second is mentioned together with first one in the , Jiao Yanshou's commentary to the Yijing written during the dynasty, while explaining hexagram 25.

According to, by his times meant “terrestrial (unedible) snail”, while  meant “aquatic (edible) snail”.

Although probably unrelated, words resembling this Proto-Sino-Tibetan root are found in Southeast Asia:
 * 🇨🇬 (Shorto, 2006)
 * 🇨🇬 (Pittayaporn, 2009), whence 🇨🇬
 * Proto-Mien: *klu̯eiᴬ/ᴮ (Ratliff, 2010)

Noun

 * 1) shellfish

Descendants

 * Old Chinese:  (dial.  > ) (B-S),  (ZS);   (B-S),  (ZS) ("snail")
 * Middle Chinese: ; ("snail")
 * Modern Mandarin
 * Beijing: ;
 * Yue
 * Cantonese: ;
 * Min Nan
 * Xiamen: ;
 * Sal
 * Jingpho [Kachin]:
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * Written