kanino

Whose / to Whom

Level 2

Kanino is the question word for people in the sa-case. It asks about possession (whose) or the person involved as a recipient or location (to/from/for whom).

How It Works

1. Possession ('Whose')
There are two ways to ask who owns something:

  • With a linker: Attach the linker -ng if kanino directly precedes the noun. (e.g., Kaninong susi ito?)
  • With 'ang': Use the ang-marker before the noun. To sound more natural, this often includes a demonstrative. (e.g., Kanino ang susi na ito?)

2. Recipient or Direction ('To/From Whom')
It is used with verbs to identify the person receiving an action or the source of something. It corresponds to the sa-case (oblique).
Example: Kanino mo ibinigay ang pera? (To whom did you give the money?)

3. Kanino vs. Nino
While both can indicate possession, they are used in different positions:

  • Kanino: Used at the beginning of the sentence (e.g., Kaninong libro ito?).
  • Nino: Used after the noun or verb as the ng-marker form (e.g., Libro nino ito?).

4. Use with Prepositions
Kanino often follows specific markers to clarify the relationship:

  • Para kanino: For whom
  • Galing kanino: From whom
  • Nakanino: Who has / With whom (e.g., Nakanino ang libro? - Who has the book?)

5. Distributive Plural Form
To ask about multiple people, especially in a distributive sense ('to which various people' or 'whose respective items'), use the reduplicated form kani-kanino.

Examples (5)

  1. Kaninong payong ito?

    Whose umbrella is this?

    Word by Word: Whose umbrella this?

    Notice the linker -ng attached to kanino because it is followed by the noun 'payong'.

  2. Para kanino ang bulaklak na ito?

    For whom is this flower?

    Word by Word: For whom the flower linker this?

    'Para' indicates the beneficiary or recipient of the flower.

  3. Kanino ka tumawag kanina?

    Who did you call earlier?

    Word by Word: To-whom you called earlier?

    Here, kanino asks for the person who received the phone call.

  4. Nakanino ba ang mga susi ng kotse?

    Who has the car keys?

    Word by Word: At-whose [question particle] the [plural] key of car?

    'Nakanino' is written as one word and is a common way to ask who is currently in possession of an object.

  5. Galing kanino ang regalong ito?

    From whom is this gift?

    Word by Word: From whose the gift linker this?

    'Galing' indicates the source or origin of the gift.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the linker -ng when followed by a noun.

    Kanino libro ito?
    Kaninong libro ito?

    When 'kanino' acts as a modifier for a noun to show possession, the linker -ng (or na) is required to connect them.

  • Using 'sino' (who) instead of 'kanino' for possession.

    Sino ang bag na ito?
    Kaninong bag ito?

    'Sino' asks for the identity of a person (Who is this bag? - nonsensical), while 'kanino' asks for the owner.

  • Writing 'nakanino' as two separate words.

    Na kanino ang pera?
    Nakanino ang pera?

    When asking who currently has an item, 'nakanino' should be written as a single word, following standard Filipino orthography.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kaninoLevel 2Whose / to Whom

Learn This First

To understand 'kanino' (whose / to whom), you need to be familiar with how Filipino marks recipients and possessors using the oblique case (sa/kay) and how basic 'who' questions (sino) are formed.

Words in This Pattern

kanino