कौन-सा / कौन-सी / कौन-से

Asking Which One

Level 1Sounds Like kauna-sā, kauna-sī aura kauna-sē

कौन-सी किताब? means Which book?

How It Works

कौन-सा means which. It picks one item, or several, out of a set. The -सा part changes like an adjective to match the noun.

FormUseExample
कौन-साmasculine, oneकौन-सा रास्ता? (which road?)
कौन-सीfeminineकौन-सी बस? (which bus?)
कौन-सेmasculine, more than oneकौन-से जूते? (which shoes?)

Put it before the noun, or at the end when the noun is already clear: आपका पसंदीदा रंग कौन-सा है? (What is your favorite color?). English often says what here, but Hindi uses कौन-सा whenever you choose from a set.

Before a postposition, the masculine singular also becomes कौन-से: आप कौन-से कमरे में हैं? (Which room are you in?). People often say किस कमरे में instead, with the same meaning.

Plain कौन asks who: वह कौन है? (Who is he?).

Examples (5)

  1. आपको कौन-सी किताब चाहिए?

    Which book do you need?

    किताब is feminine, so कौन-सी.

  2. कौन-सा रास्ता छोटा है?

    Which way is shorter?

    रास्ता is masculine, so कौन-सा.

  3. आपको कौन-से जूते पसंद हैं?

    Which shoes do you like?

    जूते is masculine plural, so कौन-से.

  4. आपका पसंदीदा रंग कौन-सा है?

    What is your favorite color?

    Choosing from a set, so Hindi uses कौन-सा where English says what.

  5. आप कौन-से कमरे में हैं?

    Which room are you in?

    Before में, the masculine singular form is कौन-से.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving -सा unchanged before a feminine noun.

    आपको कौन-सा किताब चाहिए?
    आपको कौन-सी किताब चाहिए?

    किताब is feminine, so -सा must become -सी.

How It Connects

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

कौन-सा / कौन-सी / कौन-सेLevel 1Asking Which One

Learn This First

कौन-सा is कौन with an agreeing ending, so it comes after कौन and adjective agreement.

Words in This Pattern

कौनसाकौनसा