توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟
tawhān kian āhyo?
In Sindhi, "how are you?" is said as توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟ (tawhān kian āhyo?).
This phrase is a common greeting used to inquire about someone's health or general well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟ literally breaks down as "You how are?"
Which one should you use?
Use توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟ (tawhān kian āhyo?) when addressing elders, strangers or when you wish to show respect. This is the polite alternative to the informal تون ڪيئن آهين؟ (tuñ kian āhīñ?).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟ utilizes the plural or formal pronoun توهان (tawhān) along with the corresponding plural verb آهيو (āhyo).
How do you pronounce it?
tawhān kian āhyo?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this, a common response is مان ٹھیک آهيان (māñ ṭhīk āhyāñ), which means "I am fine".
Did you know?
- While 'how are you?' is a common greeting, Sindhi culture often emphasizes God's grace in the reply, with many people responding 'Alhamdulillah' or 'Allah's grace' instead of just 'I am fine'.
- The word آهيو (āhyo) in the phrase توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟ is a form of the verb 'to be' that is shared with other Indo-Aryan languages, reflecting a deep ancestral link to Sanskrit.
- In many Sindhi social circles, asking 'how are you?' is often followed by asking about one's 'family' or 'household' rather than just the individual's health.
Examples in context
- ادا، توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟ada, tuhan kiyan ahyo?Brother, how are you?
Example conversation
Two friends meeting on the street.
- فوزیہ Fauziaسلام احمد، توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟Salam Ahmed, tuhan kiyan ahyo?Hello Ahmed, how are you?
- احمد Ahmedمان ٺيڪ آهيان، توهان ڪيئن آهيو؟Man thik ahyan, tuhan kiyan ahyo?I am fine, how are you?
- فوزیہ Fauziaمان به بلڪل ٺيڪ آهيان.Man ba bilkul thik ahyan.I am also perfectly fine.
- احمد Ahmedهي ٻڌي خوشي ٿي.He budhi khushi thi.I am happy to hear that.
