tu kî yî?
The Kurdish phrase for "who are you?" is tu kî yî?
This phrase is used to ask for a person's identity.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tu (you), kî (who) and yî (are).
How does it change in a sentence?
To answer the question tu kî yî?, use the structure ez [name/identity] me.
Did you know?
- While tu kî yî? is grammatically correct, using it with an elder or a stranger can be perceived as extremely blunt or even rude.
- The Kurdish word for 'you' tu is a distant cousin of the English 'thou' and 'you'. Both descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root *túh₂.
- Kurdish uses a system called 'clitics' where the verb 'to be' yî is attached to the end of the sentence. This means the word for 'are' functions more like a suffix than a standalone verb as it does in English.
Examples in context
- Tu kî yî?Who are you?
- Bibêje, tu kî yî?Tell me, who are you?
Example conversation
Rojda answers the door to a stranger.
- RojdaSilav, tu kî yî?Hello, who are you?
- DijwarEz Dijwar im, hevalê te me.I am Dijwar, I am your friend.
- RojdaAh, bêje Dijwar! Binêre.Ah, say Dijwar! Come in.
- DijwarSpas, Rojda.Thanks, Rojda.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kî, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
