Question Marker क्या

01

Forming Yes/No Questions

To turn a regular statement into a question that can be answered with "yes" or "no", place क्या (kyākya) at the very beginning of the sentence.

In this position, क्या (kyākya) does not mean "what". Instead, it functions like the English auxiliary verbs "Do", "Does", "Is", or "Are". The word order of the rest of the sentence remains exactly the same as a normal statement.

• क्या यह पानी है?

  kyā yah pānī hai?kya yah pani hai?

  Is this water?

• क्या आप ठीक हैं?

  kyā āp ṭhīk haiṃ?kya ap ṭhik haiṃ?

  Are you okay?

• क्या वह हिंदी बोलता है?

  kyā vah hindī boltā hai?kya wah hindi bolta hai?

  Does he speak Hindi?

02

Asking "What"

To ask for specific information, क्या (kyākya) is used with the meaning of "what". In this context, the word is never placed at the beginning of the sentence. It is usually placed just before the verb or in the position where the answer would appear.

• यह क्या है?

  yah kyā hai?yah kya hai?

  What is this?

• आपका नाम क्या है?

  āpkā nām kyā hai?apka nam kya hai?

  What is your name?

• तुम क्या खाते हो?

  tum kyā khāte ho?tum kya khate ho?

  What do you eat?

03

Position Changes Meaning

Because the position of क्या (kyākya) determines its function, moving the word changes the entire meaning of the question.

If क्या (kyākya) is first, you are asking for confirmation (Yes/No). If क्या (kyākya) is in the middle, you are asking for details.

• क्या वह लिखता है?

  kyā vah likhtā hai?kya wah likhta hai?

  Does he write? (Answer: Yes or No)

• वह क्या लिखता है?

  vah kyā likhtā hai?wah kya likhta hai?

  What does he write? (Answer: A letter, a book, etc.)

04

Intonation and Casual Speech

In spoken Hindi, the tone of voice is crucial. When asking a question, the pitch of your voice should rise at the end of the sentence, just like in English.

In informal conversations, speakers sometimes drop the initial क्या (kyākya) completely for yes/no questions. In these cases, the question is indicated solely by the rising intonation.

• क्या तुम तैयार हो?

  kyā tum taiyār ho?kya tum taiyar ho?

  Are you ready? (Standard)

• तुम तैयार हो?

  tum taiyār ho?tum taiyar ho?

  Are you ready? (Informal/Spoken only)