कि

Saying That with कि

Level 3Sounds Like ki

कि links a thought or statement to what it is about.

How It Works

कि has three uses, and they all share the spelling with a short इ.

Use	Example
that, after thinking and saying	मलाई लाग्छ कि ऊ आउँछ।
or	हामी बसमा जाऔँ कि टेम्पोमा?
doubt at the end	पानी पर्छ कि?

After verbs like लाग्छ, भन्यो and थाहा छ, कि is often left out: मलाई लाग्छ, ऊ आउँछ means the same as with कि. Put a comma where it is left out.

The speaker's words usually stay in the first person after कि: उसले भन्यो कि म आउँछु is the same as उसले म आउँछु भन्यो.

Do not write the feminine ending की here. The short कि never changes.

In a question, कि after a short clause shows a worried guess: ऊ बिरामी छ कि? (is he ill, I wonder?).

मलाई लाग्छ कि ऊ आउँछ।
I think that he is coming.
कि introduces the thought.
उसले भन्यो कि म भोलि आउँछु।
He said that he is coming tomorrow.
कि follows a verb of saying.
पानी पर्छ कि?
Will it rain, I wonder?
At the end of a question कि voices a doubt.
हामी बसमा जाऔँ कि टेम्पोमा?
Shall we go by bus or by tempo?
कि can also mean or.
मलाई थाहा छ कि तपाईं व्यस्त हुनुहुन्छ।
I know that you are busy.
कि follows थाहा छ.

Writing the feminine की instead of कि.
मलाई लाग्छ की ऊ आउँछ।
मलाई लाग्छ कि ऊ आउँछ।
की is a feminine ending. The word that means that is कि with the short इ.

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

किLevel 3Saying That with कि

कि says that.

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