Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/l-ŋaʔ

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *lngaɣ (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *l-ŋa ⪤ b-ŋa (Matisoff, STEDT; Benedict, 1972; Chou, 1972; LaPolla, 1987; Weidert, 1987); *-ŋa (Matisoff, 1983)

Several reflexes show a labial pre-initial instead of an *l pre-initial; this change may be due to the influence of adjacent *pV-lij (“four”).

*l-ŋaʔ

1. five

• Chinese: 五 (OC /*C.ŋˁaʔ/ (B-S), /*ŋaːʔ/ (ZS)) (see there for further descendants)
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Proto-Bodish: *laŋa
      • Tibetic
        • Dzongkha: ལྔ (lnga)
        • Sherpa: ལྔ (lnga)
        • Sikkimese: ལྔ (lnga)
        • Tibetan: ལྔ (lnga)
      • Dakpa-Dzala
        • Dakpa: [Term?] (/⁠le³⁵ŋe⁵³, le³⁵ŋa⁵³⁠/)
        • Dzala: ལ་ང (langa)
      • East Bodish
        • Bumthangkha: ཡ་ང (yanga)
        • Khengkha: ཡ་ང (yanga)
        • Kurtöp: ཡ་ང (yanga)
  • Newar: न्या (nyā)
• rGyalrongic
  • West rGyalrongic
    • Horpa
      • Geshiza: ŋuæ
      • Tangut: 𗏁 (*ŋwə¹, “five”)
    • Khroskyabs: mŋɑ́
  • rGyalrong
    • Japhug: kɯmŋu
    • Situ: (kə)mŋi (“five”)
    • Tshobdun: mŋo (“five”)
• Naic
  • Proto-Naish: *ŋwa
    • Naxi: wa
    • Narua: ngua
    • Laze: [Term?] (/⁠ŋwɤ˥ gv˥⁠/)
• Lolo-Burmese
  • Burmish
    • Achang: oeng
    • Burmese: ငါး (nga:, “five”)
  • Loloish
    • Northern Loloish
      • Yi (Liangshan): ꉬ (nge, “five”)
• Jingpho-Asakian
  • Jingpho: manga (“five”)
• Boro-Garo
  • Garo: binga (“five”), bonga (“five”)
  • Atong (India): banga
  • Kokborok: ba
• Proto-Karen: *ŋjatᴰ (Luangthongkum, 2013)
  • S'gaw Karen: ယဲၢ် (yeẖ)
  • Western Pwo: ယဲ
  • Western Kayah: ꤑꤟꤢ꤭ (nyā̤)
• Karbi: pho (with the entire main syllable lost)
• Pyu (Myanmar): nga

• *ŋa (“I”)
• *s-ŋja (“fish”)