Proto-Japonic
Proto-language (reconstructed) · historical / hidden variety
Proto-Japonic is the reconstructed ancestor of the Japonic family — Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages. It is usually linked to the Yayoi migration and placed in northern Kyushu and the southern Korean peninsula roughly between the 5th century BCE and the 5th century CE; it is well reconstructed from Old Japanese and Ryukyuan. (Its proposed deeper link to Koreanic — Proto-Japonic-Koreanic — is a separate, disputed entry.)
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Proto-Japonic
Water
*midu
/midu/
Fire
*poy
/poy/
Sun
*pi
/pi/
Moon
*tukuy
/tukuy/
Star
*pəsi
/pəsi/
Mother
*papa
/papa/
Father
*titi
/titi/
I
*wa
/wa/
You
*na
/na/
Name
*na
/na/
Eye
*may
/may/
Hand
*ta
/ta/
Heart
*kəkərə
/kəkərə/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
*kəy
/kəy/
House
*ipay
/ipay/
Dog
*inu
/inu/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
*kupa-
/kupa-/
Drink
*nəm-
/nəm-/
One
*pitə
/pitə/
Two
*puta
/puta/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
*yə
/yə/
Sources
- Frellesvig & Whitman (2008) Proto-Japonic
- Vovin (2010) Koreo-Japonica
Words compared
Compared with related Proto-language (reconstructed) languages
| Meaning | Proto-Japonic | Old Japanese | Proto-Ryukyuan | Japanese (Heian period) | Middle Japanese | Proto-Austronesian | Babuza (Favorlang) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | *midu /midu/ | 水 /midu/ | *midu /midu/ | 水 /midu/ | 水 /midu/ | *daNum /daNum/ | zalum /zalum/ |
| Fire | *poy /poy/ | 火 /pi/ | *pii /piː/ | 火 /ɸi/ | 火 /ɸi/ | *Sapuy /Sapuy/ | apoi /apoi/ |
| Sun | *pi /pi/ | 日 /pi/ | *teda /teda/ | 日 /ɸi/ | 日 /ɸi/ | *waRi /waRi/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | *tukuy /tukuy/ | 月 /tukï/ | *tuki /tuki/ | 月 /tukï/ | 月 /tuki/ | *bulaN /bulaN/ | zilias /siliəs/ |
| Star | *pəsi /pəsi/ | 星 /posi/ | *posi /posi/ | 星 /ɸosi/ | 星 /ɸoɕi/ | *bituqen /bituqen/ | botto /botːo/ |
| Mother | *papa /papa/ | 母 /papa/ | *amma /amma/ | 母 /ɸaɸa/ | 母 /ɸaɸa/ | *ina /ina/ | tina /tina/ |
| Father | *titi /titi/ | 父 /titi/ | *aja /aja/ | 父 /titi/ | 父 /titi/ | *ama /ama/ | tama /tama/ |
| I | *wa /wa/ | 吾 /wa/ | *wa /wa/ | 我 /waɾe/ | 我 /waɾe/ | *aku /aku/ | ka-ina /kaina/ |
| You | *na /na/ | 汝 /na/ | *ura /ura/ | 汝 /nare/ | 汝 /nandʑi/ | *iSu /iSu/ | ijo /ijo/ |
| Name | *na /na/ | 名 /na/ | *na /na/ | 名 /na/ | 名 /na/ | *ŋajan /ŋajan/ | naan /naːn/ |
| Eye | *may /may/ | 目 /ma/ | *mii /miː/ | 目 /me/ | 目 /me/ | *maCa /maCa/ | macha /matʃa/ |
| Hand | *ta /ta/ | 手 /te/ | *tii /tiː/ | 手 /te/ | 手 /te/ | *lima /lima/ | rima /rima/ |
| Heart | *kəkərə /kəkərə/ | 心 /kəkərə/ | *kimu /kimu/ | 心 /kokoɾo/ | 心 /kokoɾo/ | *pusuq /pusuq/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | 加奈志 /kanasi/ | — /—/ | 恋 /koɸi/ | 愛 /ai/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | *kəy /kəy/ | 木 /kə/ | *kii /kiː/ | 木 /kï/ | 木 /ki/ | *kaSiw /kaSiw/ | kayu /kaju/ |
| House | *ipay /ipay/ | 家 /ipey/ | *yaa /jaː/ | 家 /iɸe/ | 家 /iɸe/ | *Rumaq /Rumaq/ | ruma /ruma/ |
| Dog | *inu /inu/ | 犬 /inu/ | *in /in/ | 犬 /inu/ | 犬 /inu/ | *asu /asu/ | asu /asu/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | *maja /maja/ | 猫 /neko/ | 猫 /neko/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | *kupa- /kupa-/ | 多夫 /tabu/ | *kam- /kam/ | 食ふ /kuɸu/ | 食ふ /kuɸu/ | *kaen /kaen/ | maan /maːn/ |
| Drink | *nəm- /nəm-/ | 能牟 /nəmu/ | *num- /num/ | 飲む /nomu/ | 飲む /nomu/ | *inum /inum/ | minum /minum/ |
| One | *pitə /pitə/ | 比登都 /pitətu/ | *pitu /pitu/ | 一つ /ɸitotu/ | 一つ /ɸitotu/ | *isa /isa/ | nata /nata/ |
| Two | *puta /puta/ | 二 /puta/ | *puta /puta/ | 二 /ɸutatu/ | 二 /ni/ | *duSa /duSa/ | naroa /naroa/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | あなかしこ /anakasiko/ | 御機嫌よろしう /ɡokiɡen joroɕiu/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 忝なし /katadikenaɕi/ | 忝し /katadʑikenaɕi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | *yə /yə/ | 与之 /jo₁si/ | *masi /maɕi/ | 良し /joɕi/ | 良し /joɕi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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