कितना है?
kitnā hai?
The English phrase "how much" is translated into Hindi as कितना है? (kitnā hai?)
This phrase is used to ask about the cost or price of an item.
Meaning: what is the cost/price? (det)
Which one should you use?
For a colloquial way to ask for the total bill or the final amount due, you can use कितना हुआ? (kitnā huā?).
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the plural form कितने हैं? for multiple items and the feminine form कितनी है? when the object is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
kitnā hai?
Did you know?
- The English word 'quantum' and the Hindi word कितना (kitnā) both trace their ancestry back to the same Proto-Indo-European root, *kʷíh₂-onts.
- In Indian markets, asking कितना है? is often the start of a negotiation rather than a request for a fixed price.
- While कितना है? asks for the price, the variation कितना हुआ? literally means 'how much has happened?'
Examples in context
- यह सेब कितना है?yeh seb kitna hai?How much is this apple?
- दूध का पैकेट कितना है?doodh ka packet kitna hai?How much is the milk packet?
- कुल बिल कितना है?kul bill kitna hai?How much is the total bill?
Example conversation
Amit and Anjali are shopping at a local market.
- अमित Amitअंजलि, इस बैग का दाम कितना है?Anjali, is bag ka daam kitna hai?Anjali, how much is this bag?
- अंजलि Anjaliयह पाँच सौ रुपये का है।Yeh paanch sau rupaye ka hai.It is five hundred rupees.
- अमित Amitयह तो बहुत महंगा है!Yeh toh bahut mehanga hai!This is too expensive!
- अंजलि Anjaliहाँ, पर इसकी क्वालिटी अच्छी है।Haan, par iski quality acchi hai.Yes, but its quality is good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how much” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries कितना, है, CC BY-SA 4.0.
