کی

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See also: كي, گی, and گے

Pahari-Potwari

Post-position

کی (kī)

  1. marks the dative case

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /kiː/

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian (AYMT /⁠kay⁠/) 𐫐𐫏𐫏 (kyy /⁠kay⁠/), 𐫐𐫏 (ky /⁠kay⁠/).

Pronunciation

 

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

Adverb

Dari کی
Iranian Persian
Tajik кай

کی • (key)

  1. (interrogative) when?
    کَی خَو می‌رِی؟ ― kay xaw mē-rī? ― when are you going to sleep? (Dari, informal)

Etymology 2

From Middle Persian 𐫐𐫏 (ky /⁠kē⁠/).

Pronunciation

 

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

Pronoun

Dari کی
Iranian Persian
Tajik кӣ

کی • (ki)

  1. (interrogative) who?
    شما کی هستین؟ ― šomâ ki hastin? ― Who are you? (informal polite)
Alternative forms

Etymology 3

Inherited from Middle Persian (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

 

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

Noun

کی • (key) (plural کیان (kayân))

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

Urdu

Pronunciation

Particle

کی • (kī) (Hindi spelling की)

  1. 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 , Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
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