কেন
keno/kɛno/
The Bengali word for "why" is কেন (keno).
কেন is an interrogative adverb used to ask for a reason. It is the most widely used word for "why" in Bengali and is suitable for both formal and informal situations.
Meaning: (interrogative) for what reason (adv)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In West Bengal, the formal word keno is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kɛno/. The romanization is keno.
Did you know?
- The roots of কেন can be traced back to the Sanskrit word কীদৃশ (kīdṛśa), which actually means 'of what kind' or 'what sort'. This suggests that the original way to ask 'why' was to ask 'of what sort of reason'.
- Bengali uses কেন to express not just a question, but also a strong sense of disbelief or protest in conversational tones.
- While কেন is the standard way to ask 'why', you might hear the older form কেনে (kene) in certain dialects or more traditional literary contexts. This version is an instrumental formation that traces back to much older versions of the language.
Examples in context
- আপনি আগে যাননি কেন?Why didn't you go first?This sentence is useful for asking why someone did not go first using কেন.Tatoeba #11457382 by robingaspi, translation #3813389 by CK
- কেন সে এই সব করেছে?Why did she do all this?This sentence is useful for asking why someone did all this using কেন.Tatoeba #11999254 by robingaspi, translation #7454441 by Amastan
- এটা কাজ করছে না কেন?Why isn't this working?This sentence is useful for asking why something is not working using কেন.Tatoeba #11653793 by robingaspi, translation #1886457 by CK
- 102 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anirban and Ananya are discussing a canceled plan.
- অনন্যা Ananyaতুমি আজ আসছ না কেন?Tumi aaj ascho na keno?Why aren't you coming today?
- অনির্বাণ Anirbanআমার শরীরটা খুব খারাপ।Amar shorirta khub kharap.I'm feeling very unwell.
- অনন্যা Ananyaতুমি ডাক্তার দেখিয়েছ কেন?Tumi daktar dekhiyecho keno?Why did you see a doctor?
- অনির্বাণ Anirbanজ্বর কমাচ্ছিল না তাই।Jwor komacchilo na tai.Because the fever wasn't going down.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “why” translations and entries কেন, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries কেন, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
