কিভাবে
kibhabe/kibʱabe/
The Bengali word for "how" (in what manner) is কিভাবে (kibhabe).
কিভাবে is an interrogative adverb used to ask about the method or process of doing something.
Meaning: in what manner (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of কি (what) and ভাবে (manner/way), literally meaning "in what manner/way".
Which one should you use?
The spelling কীভাবে with a long "i" (ঈ) is also a common and correct way to write the word.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kibhabe and the IPA is /kibʱabe/.
When do people say it?
When asking about a person's well-being or state of being, Bengali speakers use different informal phrases rather than কিভাবে. For example, Ki khobor? can mean "what's the news?" or "how are you?", while Kemon acho? is used to ask how someone is doing. To inquire about how someone is feeling, you might use Kemon lagche? and to check on someone's general well-being, you can ask Valo acho? (meaning "are you well?" or "are you okay?").
Did you know?
- If you want to ask 'how' in a casual setting, you will often hear কি করে instead of কিভাবে. Although it literally translates to 'what doing', it is the standard way to ask for instructions.
- The root word ভাব inside কিভাবে is the same root used to describe 'feeling' or 'emotion' in other contexts.
- Using কিভাবে to ask how a person is would sound like you are asking about the mechanical process of their existence.
Examples in context
- আমি স্টেশনে কিভাবে যাব?How can I get to the station?This sentence is useful for asking for directions to a station using কিভাবে.Tatoeba #3763949 by tanay, translation #26024 by CK
- আমি A-1 গেটে কিভাবে যাব?How can I get to gate A-1?This sentence is useful for asking for directions to a specific gate using কিভাবে.Tatoeba #3763964 by tanay, translation #436099 by lukaszpp
- ইতালীয়তে এটা কিভাবে বলে?How do you say that in Italian?This sentence is useful for asking how to say something in another language using কিভাবে.Tatoeba #3182277 by tanay, translation #1649 by CK
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Saurav and Ananya are discussing a broken computer.
- সৌরভ Souravঅনন্যা, কম্পিউটারটি কিভাবে নষ্ট হলো?Ananya, computer-ti kibhabe noshto holo?Ananya, how did the computer break?
- অনন্যা Ananyaআমি ঠিক জানি না, সৌরভ।Ami thik jani na, Saurav.I don't know exactly, Saurav.
- সৌরভ Souravএটা কিভাবে ঠিক করা যাবে?Eta kibhabe thik kora jabe?How can this be fixed?
- অনন্যা Ananyaআমাদের একজন টেকনিশিয়ান ডাকতে হবে।Amader ekjon technician dakte hobe.We need to call a technician.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry কিভাবে, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
