hwǣr
The Old English word for "where" is hwǣr.
Meaning: at or in what place (adv)
Did you know?
- While we use 'where' to ask about location, the Old English 'hwǣr' was part of a system that distinguished between 'where' (at a place) and 'whither' (toward a place).
- The word hwǣr shares a common ancestor with the German word wo and the Old Norse hvar. The 'h' was lost in German but preserved in the Old English and Old Norse branches.
- The spelling of hwǣr uses the letter ǣ, which is called an 'ash'. It represents a vowel sound halfway between the 'a' in 'cat' and the 'e' in 'met'.
Examples in context
- Wāst þū hwǣr sē besma mæg bēon?Do you know where the broom is?This sentence demonstrates how to use hwǣr to ask about the location of an object.Tatoeba #13893127 by rul, translation #12899134 by rul
- Hwǣr wunast þū?Where do you live?This sentence shows how to use hwǣr to ask about a person's place of residence.Tatoeba #8466116 by Rawrren, translation #370708 by saeb
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Godric and Æthelflæd are looking for a lost sheep in a field.
- GodricHwǣr is þæt scēap?Where is the sheep?
- ÆthelflædIc nāt hwǣr hit is.I do not know where it is.
- GodricHwǣr mæg hit bēon?Where could it be?
- ÆthelflædWēnunga under þǣm trēowe.Perhaps under the tree.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “where” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
