Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/s(r)aj

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *sa-y ⪤ za-y (Matisoff, STEDT); *z(l)a-y (Matisoff, 2003); *sa (Matisoff, 2003)

The palatal coda is attributed to a diminutive suffix by Matisoff (1995), but its absence in Tibetan is usually attributed to regular loss of *-j in Tibetan (Hill 2019, p. 250).

Proto-Tai *zwɯəjᴬ (“sand”), whence Thai ทราย (saai, “sand”), Lao ຊາຍ (sāi, “sand”) and Zhuang saiz (“sand”), is a loan either from Old Chinese 沙 (OC *sraːl, *sraːls, “sand”) or from this Proto-Sino-Tibetan root itself.

*s(r)aj

1. earth, sand, soil

• Chinese: 沙 (OC /*sˤraj/ (B-S), /*sraːl, sraːls/ (ZS), “sand”) (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Bodish: *sa (see there for further descendants)
• rGyalrongic
  • West rGyalrongic:
    • Tangut: 𗉺 (*śia¹, “sand”) (Possibly a loan from Chinese; often used for its phonetic value, e.g. 𗉺𗐺 (*śia¹ mẽ¹, “shaman”)^[1])
• Proto-Lolo-Burmese: *say² (“sand”)
  • Burmish
    • Written: သဲ (sai:, “sand”)
  • Proto-Loloish: *say²
    • Central Loloish
      • Lahu: šɛ̂ (“sand”)
• Tangkhulic
  • Tangkhul Naga: si (“sand”)
• Jingpho-Asakian
  • Jingpho: zai bru (“sand”)
• Proto-Northern Naga: *ʔ-saːy
• Proto-Kuki-Chin:
  • Khomic
    • Khumi Chin: sä-i
• Karenic
  • Pa'o Karen: သုဲင်ꩻ (sāi, “sand”)

• *ts(j)a (“earth, ground”)
• *r-ka (“earth, ground, soil”)
• *m-lej ~ m-ləj (“earth, ground, mud; country”)