kas
The Lithuanian word for 'what' is kas.
kas is used as an interrogative pronoun to ask 'what' in a general sense.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Which one should you use?
While kas is used to ask 'what', the related form koks is used when you are asking 'what kind of' or 'what sort of' something.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes depending on its grammatical role in a sentence. The base form is kas, but you should use the genitive singular form ko after certain prepositions or to indicate possession or absence. If 'what' is the direct object of a transitive verb, use the accusative singular form ką.
Did you know?
- In Lithuanian, kas is used in the phrase kas ten?, which literally asks 'what is there?' but is the standard way to ask 'who is there?' when knocking on a door.
- The word kas is a distant cousin to the English word 'who' and the Latin 'quis', as they all share the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
- Lithuanians often use the word kas as a filler or a way to express disbelief, similar to how an English speaker might say 'What!' or 'Say what?' in a surprised tone.
Examples in context
- Man įdomu, kas atsitiko tam pasiklydusiam vaikui.I wonder what happened to that lost child.This is useful for showing how to use kas in a subordinate clause.Tatoeba #11989322 by Wobbelle, translation #67805 by CK
- Kas nutiko?What happened?This shows a direct way to ask 'what happened?' using kas.Tatoeba #5207320 by Zyberg, translation #375822 by megamanenm
- Kas tau darbo?What do you care?This demonstrates a common idiomatic expression using kas.Tatoeba #3018102 by glavsaltulo, translation #2648623 by CK
- Koks tavo mėgstamiausias maistas?What is your favorite food?
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Rūta are chatting in the living room.
- LukasKas yra tavo krepšyje?What is in your basket?
- RūtaČia yra šviežios obuolys.There are fresh apples here.
- LukasO kas dar?And what else?
- RūtaTikimai, šiek tiek vynų.Probably some grapes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries kas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
