Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/ŋwa

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *ngwjəɣ (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *ŋwa (Matisoff, STEDT; Benedict, 1972; Weidert, 1987; LaPolla, 1987); *ngwa(*B) (Coblin, 1986)

Some have noticed a similarity with Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cattle”) (whence English cow, Latin bōs) (Koenraad, 1999; Chang, 1988).

Compare Thai งัว (ngua) / วัว (wua, “bullock, cow”), Lao ງົວ (ngūa, “bullock, cow”). Because of the restricted geographic distribution of this Tai etymon, Benedict (1972) suspects Chinese to be a loan from Tai: Li (1976) concludes the Tai item is not a loan from Chinese as it is not found in northern Tai dialects. The relationship between this PST root and the Tai comparanda remains unclear.

Bos taurus indicus (zebu).

*ŋwa

1. cattle, ox

• Old Chinese: 牛 (niú) /*ŋʷə/ (B-S), /*ŋʷɯ/ (ZS) ("cattle")

  (in the oracle bone script)

  • Middle Chinese: 牛 (niú) /ŋɨu/

    → Japanese: 牛 (ぎゅう, ​gyū)
    Korean: 우 (牛, u)
    Vietnamese: ngưu (牛)

    → Sichuan Yi: ꑛ (nyu, “cow, ox (for traditional calendar dates)”)

    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 牛 (niú) (niú, /ni̯oʊ̯³⁵/)
    • Cantonese
      • Guangzhou: 牛 (niú) /ŋɐu²¹/
    • Wu
      • Shanghai: 牛 (ȵiɜ²³)
  • Min
    • Min Nan
      • Taiwan: 牛 (gu²⁴ (colloquial), giu²⁴ (literary))
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese
    • Burmish
      • Written Burmese: နွား (nwa:, “cattle”)
      • Lashi: no³³ (“year of the ox”)
    • Loloish
      • Northern Loloish
        • Yi (Liangshan): ꆈꑌ (nuo nyi, “beef cow”), ꒈꑌ (yyx nyi, “water buffalo”), ꑍꃀ (nyip mop, “cow”)
      • Central Loloish
        • Kucong: nv³¹ ȵi³³ (“ox, cattle”)
        • Lahu: nu⁵³ (“year of the ox”)