mi
[ˈmi]
The Hungarian word for 'what' is mi.
mi is an interrogative pronoun. In many spoken contexts, mi is used as a shorthand for mi az (what is) or mi ez (what is this).
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Which one should you use?
Micsoda is used instead of mi when the speaker is asking about the nature, quality or type of something (e.g., 'What a thing!') rather than just identifying the object. Additionally, melyik and milyen can be used for emphasis.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word mi is used for both the interrogative pronoun 'what' and the third-person plural pronoun 'we'.
Did you know?
- The word mi descends from the Proto-Uralic root *mi, which links Hungarian to distant languages like Finnish and Estonian.
- In some Hungarian dialects, the word micsoda can be used as a noun meaning 'a thing' or 'a gadget', rather than just as an interrogative word.
- When expressing extreme surprise or anger, Hungarians may elongate the vowel in mi to emphasize a feeling of 'What?!', which changes the emotional tone without changing the spelling.
Examples in context
- Mi a szar ez?What the fuck is that?This example shows the use of mi in a vulgar, emphatic question.Tatoeba #3496341 by mraz, translation #1745828 by Spamster
- És mi a gond?And what is the problem?This example demonstrates how to ask about a problem using mi.Tatoeba #4325574 by mraz, translation #3318439 by Vanilla
- Mi az a cucc?What is that stuff?This example shows mi being used to ask about a specific object or 'stuff'.Tatoeba #6978188 by H_Liliom, translation #2647807 by CK
- Mi a neve?What is your name?
- Mi a probléma?What is the problem?
- Mi a következő lépés?What is the next step?
- Mit csinálsz?What are you doing?
- Mit szeretnél enni?What would you like to eat?
- Mit mondott?What did he/she say?
- Mit eszel?What are you eating?
- 5595 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anna and Zoltán are talking about a gift.
- AnnaMi van a dobozban?What is in the box?
- ZoltánEgy új könyv van benne.There is a new book in it.
- AnnaMi a címe?What is the title?
- ZoltánMég nem néztem meg.I haven't looked at it yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries mi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
