sáu (Vietnamese)

Where does "sáu" come from?

The Vietnamese number 'sáu' traces its origins back to the Proto-Austroasiatic root *truʔ or *pruʔ, which meant 'six.' Over time, it evolved into Proto-Vietic *p-ruːʔ before developing into its modern form. This ancient word shares common ancestors with terms for the number six found in other Austroasiatic languages, such as Muong, Koho, and Mon.

Full etymology tree

• sáu (Vietnamese), 'six'
  • inherited *p-ruːʔ (Proto-Vietic), 'six'
    • inherited *pruʔ (Proto-Mon-Khmer)

Ancestors

• *p-ruːʔ (Proto-Vietic)

Cognates and doublets

• hynriew (Khasi)
• တရဴ (Mon)
• khảu (Muong)

Descendants and derived words

• sáu múi (Vietnamese)
• thứ sáu (Vietnamese)
• thứ sáu (Vietnamese)

Updated July 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris