क्या Meaning What

Asking What

Level 1Sounds Like kyā (praśnavācaka)

यह क्या है? means What is this?

How It Works

क्या means what. It usually goes right before the verb, in the spot where the answer will go.

QuestionAnswer
यह क्या है?यह चाबी है।
आप क्या पी रहे हैं?मैं चाय पी रहा हूँ।

The rest of the sentence keeps its normal order. Hindi does not move the verb forward or add a helper like do: आप क्या करते हैं? (What do you do?) is literally you what do.

Position matters. In front of a full statement, क्या asks whether something is true: क्या यह चाबी है? (Is this a key?). Before the verb, it asks what: यह क्या है? (What is this?).

A useful question for learners is इसे हिंदी में क्या कहते हैं? (What is this called in Hindi?).

Examples (5)

  1. यह क्या है?

    What is this?

    क्या comes right before है.

  2. आपका नाम क्या है?

    What is your name?

    The name would go where क्या is.

  3. आप क्या कर रहे हैं?

    What are you doing?

    क्या sits before the verb phrase कर रहे हैं.

  4. आप क्या लेंगे?

    What will you have?

    A host's or waiter's question; क्या stands for the food or drink.

  5. इसे हिंदी में क्या कहते हैं?

    What is this called in Hindi?

    A handy learner's question, with क्या before the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Starting with क्या to mean what, as in English.

    क्या यह है?
    यह क्या है?

    At the start, क्या asks a yes or no question, so क्या यह है? means Is it this? Put क्या before the verb.

How It Connects

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

क्या Meaning WhatLevel 1Asking What

Learn This First

Asking what puts क्या just before the final verb, so it builds on basic order and the present of to be.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

क्या