giấy

• (North Central Vietnam) chấy

From Proto-Vietic *k-cajʔ, from a descendant of reconstructed Old Chinese 紙 (OC *k.teʔ) when the dental stop already palatalized. Attested as gếy in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). Cognate with Arem kacajˀ ("book"), Muong chẩy ("paper"); non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 紙 (“paper”, SV: chỉ).

The same sound change also yields Vietnamese giống, from Proto-Vietic *k-coːŋʔ, from a descendant of ultimately Old Chinese 種 (OC *k.toŋʔ).

For another word with similar phonological development, see giặc, from 賊 / 贼. Also compare Lakkia kʰjei²⁴ ("paper") and kjak²⁴ ("thief"), borrowed from the same sources.

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zəj˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jəj˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [jəj˦˥]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

(classifier tờ) giấy • (𫷏, 紙, 絏, 繶, 𥿗)

1. paper (material for writing on)
2. tissue (for cleaning)