काय
kāy/kaj/
The English word "what" is translated into Marathi as काय (kāy).
In informal speech, using the word काय? by itself is a common way to express surprise or to ask someone to repeat themselves, similar to the English "What?"
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
In Marathi, the interrogative pronoun काय (what) typically follows the subject in a question.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kaj/. The k sound is like the [c] in the English word "scan" and the y sound is like the [y] in "yak".
Did you know?
- When used as a greeting in some rural areas, काय? can function as a shorthand for 'What is the news?' or 'How are things?', essentially replacing 'Hello'.
- In some regional dialects of Maharashtra, काय is used as a filler word in casual conversation, similar to how English speakers use 'like' or 'you know'.
- The Marathi word काय shares an ancient ancestor with the Sanskrit word कीदृश, which was used to describe the nature or quality of something.
Examples in context
- ते काय करत आहेत?What is he doing?Tatoeba #2087708 by sabretou, translation #294312 by CK
- तू काय करत आहेस?What are you doing?Tatoeba #2087711 by sabretou, translation #16492 by CK
- ते तिथे काय आहे?What is over there?Tatoeba #2087738 by sabretou, translation #25235 by CK
- 1615 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aditi and Rahul are sitting in a cafe.
- अदिति Aditiराहुल, तू काय पीत आहेस?Rahul, too kaay peet aahes?Rahul, what are you drinking?
- राहुल Rahulमी चहा पीत आहे.Mee chaha peet aahe.I am drinking tea.
- अदिति Aditiतुला काय खायला हवे आहे?Tula kaay khaayala have aahe?What do you want to eat?
- राहुल Rahulमला फक्त बिस्किटे हवी आहेत.Mala phakta biskute havi aahet.I only want some biscuits.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries काय, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries काय, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
