Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| कैसे | kaise | /kɛː.seː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
| कैसा | kaisā | /kɛː.sɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) |
कैसे is used to ask about the manner or method by which something is done, such as inquiring about the way to perform an action.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on whether you are asking about a method or a quality. Use कैसे as an adverb to ask about the manner of an action (e.g., "How to do this?"). Use कैसा to ask about the quality or state of a person or thing (e.g., "How is the food?").
How does it change in a sentence?
The form कैसे is the adverbial form and is also used for masculine plural or polite forms. The form कैसा is used when the adjective refers to a masculine singular noun. Additionally, the form कैसी is used when the adjective refers to a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kɛː.seː/ (kaise).
When do people say it?
To ask someone how they are or what they are up to in an informal setting, you can use the phrase kya chal raha hai, which literally means "what is going on."
Did you know?
- While कैसे asks 'how', the common greeting क्या हाल है asks 'what is the condition'. In Hindi, people often inquire about the 'state' or 'condition' of a person rather than using 'how' to ask about their well-being.
- The word कैसे can be used to express disbelief or shock, similar to how an English speaker might say 'How could you?' or 'How on earth!', rather than just asking for a method.
- The word कैसे shares a deep genealogical root with the Sanskrit term कीदृश, which was used to describe the nature or appearance of things in ancient texts.
Examples in context
- मैं सबका समय कैसे खराब कर सकता हूँ?How can I waste everyone's time?This sentence shows how to use कैसे to ask about the manner of wasting time.Tatoeba #9844508 by anushka, translation #6461360 by Eccles17
- टॉम अभी तक नहीं जानता कि यह कैसे करना है।Tom doesn't know how to do that yet.This sentence demonstrates using कैसे to inquire about the method of doing something.Tatoeba #8879581 by simranbansal, translation #8866478 by CK
- आप कैसे हैं? बहुत बढ़िया। और आप? बहुत बढ़िया, शुक्रिया।How are you? Great. And you? Great, thank you.This sentence illustrates the use of कैसे when asking about someone's well-being.Tatoeba #9004646 by AnjaliNoronha, translation #9839066 by anushka
- कृपया बताइए, आप कैसे हैं?Please tell me, how are you?
- क्या हाल है, आप कैसे हैं?How are you doing?
- कैसे हो, तुम कैसे हो?How are you, how are you doing?
- क्या चल रहा है, तुम कैसे हो?What's going on, how are you?
- 78 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditya is explaining a technical problem to Anjali.
- अंजलि Anjaliयह अचानक कैसे हुआ?yah achanak kaise hua?How did this happen suddenly?
- आदित्य Adityaमुझे नहीं पता कि यह कैसे हुआ।mujhe nahi pata ki yah kaise hua.I don't know how it happened.
- अंजलि Anjaliक्या हम इसे ठीक कर सकते हैं?kya ham ise theek kar sakte hain?Can we fix this?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, हम इसे कैसे भी ठीक करेंगे।haan, ham ise kaise bhi theek karenge.Yes, we will fix it somehow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how” translations and entries कैसे, कैसा, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries कैसा, कैसे, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
