Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/tsa ~ za

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *tsa (Chou, 1972); *tsjəɣ ~ dzjəɣ (Coblin, 1986), *tsə (Schuessler, 2007)
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *tsa-n ~ za-n ("child"), *m-dza-k ("to love") (Matisoff, STEDT); *za (Benedict, 1972; Weidert, 1987); *tsa ⪤ *za (LaPolla, 1987)

Noun

 * 1) child, son, offspring; grandson; relatives; nephew/niece

Verb

 * 1) to come forth (as child at birth) - perhaps the original meaning
 * 2) (prenasalised) to love, to be loving

Descendants

 * Old Chinese:
 * (子 in bronzeware inscriptions: 子-bronze.svg - "child}}
 * (字 in bronzeware inscriptions: 字-bronze.svg - "child under roof > to bear, to give birth}}
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * (子 in bronzeware inscriptions: 子-bronze.svg - "child}}
 * (字 in bronzeware inscriptions: 字-bronze.svg - "child under roof > to bear, to give birth}}
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * (子 in bronzeware inscriptions: 子-bronze.svg - "child}}
 * (字 in bronzeware inscriptions: 字-bronze.svg - "child under roof > to bear, to give birth}}
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,


 * Modern Mandarin
 * Beijing: (zǐ,, "child; diminutive"), ,  (zǎi, , "young animal"),  (zì, , "character"),  (cí, , "kind"), ,  (zī, , "to breed")
 * Kamarupan
 * Kuki-Chin
 * Central Chin
 * Khomic
 * Himalayish
 * Tibeto-Kanauri
 * Bodic
 * Tibetan
 * Written, ,
 * Newar
 * Mahakiranti
 * Kiranti
 * Eastern Kiranti = Rai
 * ( in compounds, e.g., )
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * Written ,
 * Loloish
 * (Hansson, 1989)
 * Northern Loloish
 * Yi (Liangshan):
 * Central Loloish
 * Lisu (Northern):
 * Yi (Liangshan):
 * Central Loloish
 * Lisu (Northern):