کی

Pahari-Potwari

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kiː/

Postposition

کی (kī)

marks the dative case

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (AYMT /⁠kay⁠/) 𐫐𐫏𐫏 (kyy /⁠kay⁠/), 𐫐𐫏 (ky /⁠kay⁠/).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kaj]

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʲej]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]

Readings
Classical reading^?	kay
Dari reading^?	kay
Iranian reading^?	key
Tajik reading^?	kay

Adverb


Iranian Persian	کی
Dari	کی
Tajik	кай

کی • (key)

(interrogative) when?
― kay xaw mē-rī? ― when are you going to sleep? (Dari, informal)

Etymology 2

From Middle Persian 𐫐𐫏 (ky /⁠kē⁠/).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ˈkiː]

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰíː]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰíː]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰí]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲíː]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰí]

Readings
Classical reading^?	kī
Dari reading^?	kī
Iranian reading^?	ki
Tajik reading^?	ki

Pronoun


Iranian Persian	کی
Dari	کی
Tajik	кӣ

کی • (ki)

(interrogative) who?
― šomâ ki hastin? ― Who are you? (informal polite)

Alternative forms

که (ke) (archaic)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kad /⁠kay⁠/, “legendary ancient king of Iran”), borrowed from Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬌 (kauui, “poet, bard; vision-poet, Mazdean sacrificer”), from Proto-Iranian *káwHiš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *káwHiš, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-. The visionary poets of the Avesta were mistakenly interpreted as ancient kings by the Sasanian Zoroastrian priests.

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kaj]

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʲej]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäj]

Readings
Classical reading^?	kay
Dari reading^?	kay
Iranian reading^?	key
Tajik reading^?	kay

Noun

کی • (key) (plural کیان (kayân))

(Iranian mythology) Key, Kay: the title of a number of legendary kings of Iran, belonging to the mythical Kayanian dynasty.

Urdu

Pronunciation

(Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kiː/

Particle

کی • (kī) (Hindi spelling की)

feminine of کا (kā)

References

“کی”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
“کی”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.