Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/s-maŋ ~ s-mak

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *s-mak ⪤ s-maŋ (Matisoff, 1983); *smək (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *s-maŋ ⪤ *s-mak (Matisoff, STEDT)

*s-maŋ ~ s-mak

1. black
2. dark
3. ink
4. deep

• Old Chinese: 墨 (*C.mˁək (B-S); mlɯːg (ZS), “ink”); 黑 (*m̥ˁək, dial. *m̥ˁ- › xˁ- (B-S); *m̥lɯːg (ZS), “black”)

  (黑 in the oracle bone script)

  • Middle Chinese: 墨 /mək/, 黑 /hək/

    → Japanese: 墨 (ぼく, ​boku)
    Korean: 묵 (墨, muk)
    Vietnamese: mặc (墨)

    → Vietnamese: mực (“cuttlefish; ink”)
    Thai: หมึก (mèuk, “ink”), ปลาหมึก (bplaa mèuk, “cuttlefish”)
    Lao: ມຶກ (mưk, “ink; black”), ຫມຶກ (mưk, “black; ink”), ໝຶກ (mưk, “sepia from cuttlefish; ink; black”)
    Khmer: មឹក (mɨk, “squid; ink”)

    → Japanese: 黒 (こく, ​koku)
    Korean: 흑 (黑, heuk)
    Vietnamese: hắc (黑)

    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 墨 (mò) /mu̯ɔ⁵¹/), 黑 (hēi) /xeɪ̯⁵⁵/)
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: སྨག (smag, “dark, darkness”), མོག་པ (mog pa, “dark-coloured”)
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese
    • Burmish
      • Written Burmese: မှင် (hmang), မင် (mang, “ink”)

      → Mon: မှၚ် (hmɛŋ, “ink”)

• *s-nak (“black”) - a similar root; possibly descendant of this etymon, from assimilation of the root initial (in place of articulation) by the prefix *s-.