کَہاں
kahā̃
The Urdu word for where is کَہاں, romanized as kahā̃. If unsure, use کَہاں. Wiktionary also lists کِدَھر (kidhar).
Meaning: at or in what place (adv)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| کَہاں | kahā̃ |
| کِدَھر | kidhar |
کَہاں is the standard question word for asking about a place or position, as in Aap kahan hain?, where are you.
Which one should you use?
کِدَھر, romanized as kidhar, also means where but is colloquial and often suggests movement or direction, like which way, rather than a fixed location.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as kahā̃. The tilde shows that the final long a is nasal.
Did you know?
- In Urdu, you can express an extreme contrast by using کَہاں in a structure like کَہاں وہ اور کَہاں میں, which literally means 'where they and where I', but translates to 'they are in a completely different league than I am'.
- In poetic Urdu, کَہاں is often used as a rhetorical device to express a vast distance or a state of longing, rather than asking for a literal location.
- While کَہاں asks for a location, it is frequently paired with the word بھلا to create a rhetorical expression of disbelief, such as بھلا کَہاں ہوگا, meaning 'where on earth could it possibly be'.
Examples in context
- تم کَہاں ہو؟tum kahan ho?Where are you?
- میرا فون کَہاں ہے؟mera phone kahan hai?Where is my phone?
- وہ کَہاں جا رہا ہے؟woh kahan ja raha hai?Where is he going?
Example conversation
Zainab is looking for Umar in their house.
- زینب Zainabعمر، تم کَہاں ہو؟Umar, tum kahan ho?Umar, where are you?
- عمر Omarمیں کچن میں ہوں۔Main kitchen mein hoon.I am in the kitchen.
- زینب Zainabجلدی آؤ، کھانا تیار ہے۔Jaldi aao, khana tayyar hai.Come quickly, the food is ready.
- عمر Omarمیں ابھی آتا ہوں۔Main abhi aata hoon.I am coming right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “where” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
