के / कउन

Asking Who or Which

Level 1Sounds Like kē a'ura ka'una

के and कउन ask who, and कउन also asks which.

How It Works

Two short words cover who and which.

WordMeaningExample
केwhoई के अहै?
कउनwhoऊ कउन अहै?
कउनwhichकउन बस आवत अहै?

For a choice between things you can see or know, use कउन before the noun: कउन किताब चाही? (Which book do you need?)

For a person, either word works, and speakers vary. Use कउन if you are not sure.

Note the spelling कउन. Hindi writes कौन, and Awadhi writes the two vowels अ and उ in a row. The same is true of अउर for और.

Related words are केकर (whose) and कउनो (any): कउनो बात नाहीं means no problem.

Examples (5)

  1. ऊ कउन अहै?

    Who is he?

    कउन asks about a person.

  2. ई के अहै?

    Who is this?

    के is a short word for who.

  3. कउन बस आवत अहै?

    Which bus is coming?

    कउन goes before a noun to mean which.

  4. तुम्हार दोस्त के अहै?

    Who is your friend?

    के asks which person.

  5. कउन किताब चाही?

    Which book do you need?

    कउन asks for a choice.

How It Connects

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के / कउनLevel 1Asking Who or Which

Learn This First

के and कउन stand where a person's name would go in a sentence with अहै.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

केकउन