Proto-Japonic-Koreanic
Japonic-Koreanic (proposed macro-family) · historical / hidden variety
Proto-Japonic-Koreanic (PJK) is a hypothesized common ancestor of the Japonic and Koreanic language families. The hypothesis is contested: Whitman (2012), Robbeets (2015) — and Robbeets et al. (2021) Transeurasian — argue for a shared ancestor whose speakers brought wet-rice farming from the southern Korean peninsula (Mumun) to the Japanese archipelago (Yayoi). Vovin (2010) and others reject the connection, noting that proposed cognates concentrate in cultural/farming vocabulary (rice, paddy, millet, silkworm) rather than basic vocabulary like water/fire/sun — which is the major reason the hypothesis remains controversial. Nearly all 20-word Swadesh-style cells here are intentionally left as "—" to reflect this gap.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Proto-Japonic-Koreanic
Water
—
/—/
Fire
—
/—/
Sun
—
/—/
Moon
—
/—/
Star
—
/—/
Mother
*əma
/əma/
Father
*əpa
/əpa/
I
—
/—/
You
—
/—/
Name
—
/—/
Eye
—
/—/
Hand
—
/—/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
—
/—/
House
—
/—/
Dog
—
/—/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
—
/—/
Drink
—
/—/
One
—
/—/
Two
—
/—/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Whitman, John (2012) The relationship between Japanese and Korean. In Tranter (ed), The Languages of Japan and Korea. Routledge
- Robbeets, Martine (2015) Diachrony of Verb Morphology: Japanese and the Transeurasian Languages. De Gruyter Mouton
- Vovin, Alexander (2010) Koreo-Japonica: A Re-evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin. University of Hawai'i Press
Words compared
Compared with related Japonic-Koreanic (proposed macro-family) languages
| Meaning | Proto-Japonic-Koreanic | Messapic | Nicaraguan Sign Language | Tartessian | Liburnian | Goguryeo | Venetic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 買 /*mai/ | ouriom /ˈou.ri.om/ |
| Fire | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Star | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Mother | *əma /əma/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | matur /ˈma.tur/ |
| Father | *əpa /əpa/ | ana /ˈana/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| I | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | eχo /ˈexo/ |
| You | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Name | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| House | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Two | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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