ఏమిటి
ēmiṭi
To ask what in Telugu, use ఏమిటి (ēmiṭi), as in అదేమిటి? for what is that.
ఏమిటి is the question word for what. ఏమిటది (ēmiṭadi) is a common contraction meaning what is that.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Which one should you use?
ఏంది is common among friends and peers. ఏంటీ is used mainly by younger people to sound friendly and informal. ఏం (ēm) is a shortened form used in casual speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
ఏం is a shortened version of ఏమిటి used before certain consonants.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as ēmiṭi. The first vowel is a long e and the dot under t marks a retroflex sound.
Did you know?
- When expressing extreme shock or confusion, Telugu speakers may repeat the short form as ఏం ఏం? (ēm ēm?), which shifts the meaning from a simple question to a state of disbelief.
- In some contexts, saying ఏం (ēm) with a specific rising intonation can function as a way to express 'I don't believe you' or 'Is that so?' rather than a request for information.
- While English uses 'what' for most inquiries, Telugu maintains a rigid distinction between ఏమిటి, meaning 'what', and ఏది, which specifically means 'which one' among a set of objects.
Examples in context
- అదేమిటి?What is that?In అదేమిటి? the question word joins the word for that, giving what is that.
- ఏంటి సమస్య?What is the problem?
- ఏంది రా?What's up?
- నీ పేరు ఏమిటి?nī pēru emiṭi?What is your name?
Example conversation
Laxmi and Sai are talking about a gift on the table.
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiసాయి, ఆ బహుమతి ఏమిటి?sāyi, ā bahumati emiṭi?Sai, what is that gift?
- సాయి Saiఇది నా పుట్టినరోజు కానుక.idi nā puṭṭinarōju kānuka.It is my birthday present.
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiఅది చాలా బాగుంది.adi cālā bāgundi.It is very nice.
- సాయి Saiధన్యవాదాలు లక్ష్మి.dhanyavādālu lakṣmi.Thank you, Laxmi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries ఏమిటి, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
