hwan
The English interrogative pronoun "who" is translated into Twi as hwan.
Meaning: who? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Did you know?
- In Twi, hwan can be used as an indefinite pronoun meaning 'anyone' or 'no one' depending on the verb's polarity, rather than just as a question word.
- Twi employs a system of 'tonal contrast' where changing the pitch on hwan can shift the meaning or the emotional urgency of the inquiry.
- If you are asking 'who' in a very formal or respectful setting, such as addressing an elder, you might find the sentence structure changes to emphasize the person's status rather than just using hwan alone.
Examples in context
- Hwan na ɔreba?Who is coming?
Example conversation
Ama and Yaw are talking about a new neighbor.
- AmaHwan na ɔte hɔ?Who lives there?
- YawKofi na ɔte hɔ.Kofi lives there.
- AmaKofi ne hwan?Who is Kofi?
- YawƆyɛ me nuanoko.He is my brother.
