ਕੀ
kī
The Punjabi word for "what" is ਕੀ (kī).
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How do you pronounce it?
kī
Did you know?
- In casual speech, repeating ਕੀ ਕੀ can function as a way to ask 'what all' or 'what things', turning a single pronoun into a distributive one.
- Depending on the dialect, the spelling and sound of ਕੀ can vary significantly between the Shahmukhi script used in Pakistan and the Gurmukhi script used in India.
- The word ਕੀ shares its DNA with the Sanskrit word 'kim', which is the root of many similar interrogative words in Indo-Aryan languages.
Examples in context
- ਧਾਰਮਿਕ ਫਿਰਕ਼ਾ ਕੀ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ?What is a religious sect?Tatoeba #3788114 by RadiumCat, translation #3788110 by Jesse
- ਮੈਨੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਤਾ ਮੈਂ ਕੀ ਕਹਾਂ।I just don't know what to say.Tatoeba #3794029 by RadiumCat, translation #1288 by CK
- ਕੀ ਟੌਮ ਨੂੰ ਜੋ ਓਹ ਲਭ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ ਲਭ ਗਿਅਾ?Did Tom find what he was looking for?Tatoeba #3788503 by RadiumCat, translation #3326671 by CK
- ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕੀ ਕਹਿ ਰਿਹੇ ਹੋ?What are you saying?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ravinder and Preet are talking about a gift.
- ਰਵਿੰਦਰ Ravinderਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਤੋਹਫ਼ਾ ਕੀ ਹੈ?Tuhada tohfa ki hai?What is your gift?
- ਪ੍ਰੀਤ Preetਇਹ ਇੱਕ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਹੈ।Eh ik kitab hai.It is a book.
- ਰਵਿੰਦਰ Ravinderਕਿਤਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਹੈ?Kitab vich ki likhiya hai?What is written in the book?
- ਪ੍ਰੀਤ Preetਇਹ ਕਵਿਤਾਵਾਂ ਦੀ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਹੈ।Eh kavitaavan di kitab hai.It is a book of poems.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries ਕੀ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ਕੀ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
