Punjabi Question Words: Ki, Kaun, Kithe, Kadon, Kyon, Kiven — and How to Ask Anything

The Punjabi question words are ki (ਕੀ, what), kaun (ਕੌਣ, who), kithe (ਕਿੱਥੇ, where), kadon (ਕਦੋਂ, when), kyon (ਕਿਉਂ, why), kiven (ਕਿਵੇਂ, how), kinna (ਕਿੰਨਾ, how much/many) and kehda (ਕਿਹੜਾ, which). Almost all of them start with k-, which makes them easy to spot. The rule for using them is simple too: the question word sits just before the verb, not at the start of the sentence — Tusi kithe rehnde ho? ("You where live?"). Here is the full set, how to build yes/no questions, and 25 questions you'll actually ask.

All the Punjabi Question Words

Question word	Gurmukhi	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
ki	ਕੀ	kee	what	Eh ki hai? — What is this?
kaun	ਕੌਣ	kaun	who	Oh kaun hai? — Who is that?
kis / kinhe	ਕਿਸ / ਕਿਨ੍ਹੇ	kis	whom / who (before postpositions and in the past)	Kis nu? — To whom? · Kinhe kiha? — Who said?
kithe	ਕਿੱਥੇ	KIT-thay	where	Tusi kithe ho? — Where are you?
kithon	ਕਿੱਥੋਂ	KIT-thon	from where	Tusi kithon ho? — Where are you from?
kidhar	ਕਿੱਧਰ	KID-dhur	which way, where to	Kidhar challe? — Where are you off to?
kadon	ਕਦੋਂ	ka-DON	when	Kadon aaoge? — When will you come?
kyon	ਕਿਉਂ	kyon	why	Kyon nahi? — Why not?
kiven	ਕਿਵੇਂ	ki-VEN	how	Eh kiven karna hai? — How do you do this?
kinna / kinni / kinne	ਕਿੰਨਾ / ਕਿੰਨੀ / ਕਿੰਨੇ	KIN-naa	how much, how many (agrees with the noun)	Kinne paise? — How much money?
kehda / kehdi / kehde	ਕਿਹੜਾ / ਕਿਹੜੀ / ਕਿਹੜੇ	KEH-daa	which (agrees with the noun)	Kehdi bus? — Which bus?
kiho jiha	ਕਿਹੋ ਜਿਹਾ	KI-ho JI-haa	what kind of, what like	Mausam kiho jiha hai? — What's the weather like?
kis da / kis di	ਕਿਸ ਦਾ / ਕਿਸ ਦੀ	kis daa	whose	Eh kis da hai? — Whose is this?
kinni der / kinna chir	ਕਿੰਨੀ ਦੇਰ / ਕਿੰਨਾ ਚਿਰ	KIN-nee dayr	how long (time)	Kinni der lagegi? — How long will it take?

Where the Question Word Goes

English fronts the question word; Punjabi leaves the subject first and puts the question word right before the verb:

English	Punjabi order	Gurmukhi
Where do you live?	Tusi kithe rehnde ho? (You where live?)	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹੋ?
What is your name?	Tuhada naam ki hai? (Your name what is?)	ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਹੈ?
When are you coming?	Tusi kadon aa rahe ho?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਦੋਂ ਆ ਰਹੇ ਹੋ?
Why are you sad?	Tusi kyon udaas ho?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਉਂ ਉਦਾਸ ਹੋ?
Who is he?	Oh kaun hai?	ਉਹ ਕੌਣ ਹੈ?

In quick speech the subject often drops: Kithe rehnde ho?, Kadon aaoge?, Ki karde ho? — perfectly natural.

Yes/No Questions

Punjabi has no "do/does". A statement becomes a question by raising your voice at the end: Tusi Punjabi bolde ho. (You speak Punjabi.) → Tusi Punjabi bolde ho? (Do you speak Punjabi?). To be explicit, put ki at the very front: Ki tusi Punjabi bolde ho? Answer with haan ji or nahi ji. A tag question uses na? or hai na?: Changa hai, hai na? — it's good, isn't it?

Kinna and Kehda Agree With the Noun

Kinna and kehda behave like adjectives, so they take -a for masculine, -i for feminine and -e for plural: kinna paani (how much water), kinni chah (how much tea), kinne log (how many people); kehda rang (which colour), kehdi kitaab (which book), kehde din (which days). Kinne da? on its own means "how much (does it cost)?"

25 Everyday Questions and Their Answers

Meeting people

Question	Gurmukhi	Meaning	Typical answer
Tuhada naam ki hai?	ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਹੈ?	What's your name?	Mera naam ___ hai
Tusi kithon ho?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਹੋ?	Where are you from?	Main Canada ton haan
Tusi kithe rehnde ho?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹੋ?	Where do you live?	Main Surrey vich rehnda haan
Tusi ki kamm karde ho?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕੀ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਦੇ ਹੋ?	What do you do?	Main nurse haan
Tuhadi umar kinni hai?	ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਉਮਰ ਕਿੰਨੀ ਹੈ?	How old are you?	Main tees saal da haan
Oh kaun hai?	ਉਹ ਕੌਣ ਹੈ?	Who is that?	Oh mera chacha hai
Tusi kiven ho?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ?	How are you?	Main theek haan, tusi?

At home

Question	Gurmukhi	Meaning	Typical answer
Ki gall hai?	ਕੀ ਗੱਲ ਹੈ?	What's the matter?	Kujh nahi — nothing
Ki hoya?	ਕੀ ਹੋਇਆ?	What happened?	Kujh nahi hoya
Khaana kadon banega?	ਖਾਣਾ ਕਦੋਂ ਬਣੇਗਾ?	When will the food be ready?	Das mint vich
Chaabi kithe hai?	ਚਾਬੀ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਹੈ?	Where is the key?	Mez te — on the table
Eh kis da hai?	ਇਹ ਕਿਸ ਦਾ ਹੈ?	Whose is this?	Mera hai
Tusi kyon nahi khaa rahe?	ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਉਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਖਾ ਰਹੇ?	Why aren't you eating?	Pet bhar gaya
Kinne vajje han?	ਕਿੰਨੇ ਵੱਜੇ ਹਨ?	What time is it?	Paanj vajje han
Kadon tak aaoge?	ਕਦੋਂ ਤੱਕ ਆਓਗੇ?	By when will you be back?	Shaam tak
Eh kiven karna hai?	ਇਹ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੈ?	How do I do this?	Main dikhaanda haan — I'll show you

Out and about

Question	Gurmukhi	Meaning	Typical answer
Gurdwara kithe hai?	ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਹੈ?	Where is the gurdwara?	Sidha jao, phir sajje
Eh kinne da hai?	ਇਹ ਕਿੰਨੇ ਦਾ ਹੈ?	How much is this?	Sau rupaye da
Kehdi bus Southall jaandi hai?	ਕਿਹੜੀ ਬੱਸ ਸਾਊਥਾਲ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ?	Which bus goes to Southall?	Eh wali
Kinni door hai?	ਕਿੰਨੀ ਦੂਰ ਹੈ?	How far is it?	Das mint paidal
Kinni der lagegi?	ਕਿੰਨੀ ਦੇਰ ਲੱਗੇਗੀ?	How long will it take?	Adha ghanta
Bathroom kithe hai?	ਬਾਥਰੂਮ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਹੈ?	Where is the bathroom?	Khabbe paase
Ki tusi Punjabi bolde ho?	ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਦੇ ਹੋ?	Do you speak Punjabi?	Haan ji, thodi jehi
Ki main andar aa sakda haan?	ਕੀ ਮੈਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਆ ਸਕਦਾ ਹਾਂ?	May I come in?	Haan ji, aao
Kidhar challe?	ਕਿੱਧਰ ਚੱਲੇ?	Where are you off to? (casual)	Bazaar

For the replies, see how to answer "how are you", how to introduce yourself, and asking for directions.

Question Words With Postpositions

Punjabi puts its "prepositions" after the word, so "with whom" is kis naal, literally "whom with":

Punjabi	Gurmukhi	Meaning
kis nu	ਕਿਸ ਨੂੰ	to whom
kis naal	ਕਿਸ ਨਾਲ	with whom
kis layi	ਕਿਸ ਲਈ	for whom / what for
kis ton	ਕਿਸ ਤੋਂ	from whom
kis bare	ਕਿਸ ਬਾਰੇ	about what / whom
kadon ton	ਕਦੋਂ ਤੋਂ	since when
kadon tak	ਕਦੋਂ ਤੱਕ	until when
kithe tak	ਕਿੱਥੇ ਤੱਕ	how far, up to where

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the question words in Punjabi?

Ki (what), kaun (who), kithe (where), kithon (from where), kadon (when), kyon (why), kiven (how), kinna (how much/many) and kehda (which). Almost all begin with k.

How do you ask a yes/no question in Punjabi?

Say the statement with rising intonation, or put ki at the front: Ki tusi Punjabi bolde ho? — Do you speak Punjabi? Answer with haan ji or nahi ji.

Where does the question word go in a Punjabi sentence?

Just before the verb, after the subject: Tusi kithe rehnde ho? — literally "You where live?" The subject is often dropped in speech: Kithe rehnde ho?

How do you say "how much" in Punjabi?

Kinna (ਕਿੰਨਾ), which agrees with the noun: kinna paani, kinni chah, kinne log. To ask a price, say Eh kinne da hai?

Ask Your First Questions in Punjabi

Questions are how conversations start — and how you learn the next word. Alfaazo teaches everyday Punjabi with native audio, the Gurmukhi script and bite-sized lessons you can finish in five minutes a day. Free on iOS and Android.