ਕੌਣ
kauṇă/kɔːɳə̆/Gurmukhi
The English word "who" is translated into Punjabi as ਕੌਣ (kauṇă).
Meaning: who? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
As an invariant interrogative pronoun, ਕੌਣ does not change its form based on gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kauṇă. The IPA is /kɔːɳə̆/.
Did you know?
- The Punjabi word ਕੌਣ is a linguistic relative of the English word 'who' through a distant shared ancestor in the Proto-Indo-European language family.
- Although ਕੌਣ is used for people, using it to refer to an animal or an object in a poetic context suggests that the speaker is attributing human-like consciousness to that entity.
- In Punjabi poetry and song, ਕੌਣ is often used rhetorically to create a sense of longing or existential mystery rather than to seek a specific name.
Examples in context
- ਤੂੰ ਕੌਣ ਹੈਂ?Who are you?This sentence is useful for asking someone for their identity using ਕੌਣ.
- ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ੇ 'ਤੇ ਕੌਣ ਹੈ?darvāzē 'tē kaun hai?Who is at the door?
- ਉਹ ਕੌਣ ਸੀ?uh kaun sī?Who was that?
Example conversation
Simran and Ravinder are talking on the phone.
- ਸਿਮਰਨ Simranਹੈਲੋ, ਇਹ ਕੌਣ ਬੋਲ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ?hello, ih kaun bōl rihā hai?Hello, who is speaking?
- ਰਵਿੰਦਰ Ravinderਮੈਂ ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਬੋਲ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ।maiṃ ravindar bōl rihā hāṃ.It is Ravinder speaking.
- ਸਿਮਰਨ Simranਅੱਛਾ, ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਜੀ, ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ?achā, ravindar jī, kī hāl hai?Oh, Ravinder, how are you?
- ਰਵਿੰਦਰ Ravinderਮੈਂ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ, ਧੰਨਵਾਦ।maiṃ ṭhīk hāṃ, dhanavād.I am fine, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “who” translations and entries ਕੌਣ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
