کیا
kya
The English word "what" is translated into Urdu as کیا (kya).
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
When کیا is used to ask a yes/no question (e.g., 'Is it…?'), it is placed at the beginning of the sentence, whereas for 'what' questions, it is placed before the verb.
How do you pronounce it?
kya
Did you know?
- The word کیا is derived from the Sanskrit word किम्, which is a distant relative of the English word 'what' through their shared Proto-Indo-European roots.
- In spoken Urdu, کیا is often used as a filler word or a way to express disbelief, similar to how an English speaker might say 'What!' or 'Really!' in response to a shocking statement.
- While کیا is the standard word for 'what', Urdu speakers often use the phrase کیا ہوا ('what happened') as a general greeting to ask 'what is up' or 'how are things'.
Examples in context
- تم کیا کرو گے؟What are you going to do?Tatoeba #1465751 by nabeel_tahir, translation #25000 by CK
- آپ نے کیا کہا؟What did you say?Tatoeba #12902445 by Roomba_Unit, translation #433423 by CK
- تم کیا کھائو گے؟What would you like to eat?Tatoeba #1465742 by nabeel_tahir, translation #400191 by sysko
- کیا آپ اسکول میں ہیں؟Are you in school?
- کیا میں آپ کی مدد کر سکتا ہوں؟May I help you?
- کیا آپ کو یہ ٹی شرٹ پسند ہوگی؟Would you like this t-shirt?
- کل رات تم کیسے سوئے؟How did you sleep last night?
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Ahmed are talking in a kitchen.
- سارہ Saraیہ کیا ہے؟yeh kya hai?What is this?
- احمد Ahmedیہ ایک سیب ہے۔yeh ek saib hai.This is an apple.
- سارہ Saraکیا آپ کو کیا چاہیے؟kya aap ko kya chahiye?What do you want?
- احمد Ahmedمجھے کچھ نہیں چاہیے۔mujhe kuch nahi chahiye.I don't want anything.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
