Question words in Hindi

Q: What are the main question words in Hindi?

The core question words are क्या (kya, what), कौन (kaun, who), कब (kab, when), कहाँ (kahaan, where), क्यों (kyon, why), कैसे (kaise, how), कितना (kitna, how much), and कौन-सा (kaun-sa, which). Almost all begin with the sound 'k'.

Q: Why do Hindi question words start with क?

Most Hindi question words share the letter क (ka) at the start — क्या, कौन, कब, कहाँ, कब, कैसे, कितना. This is a handy memory hook, much like the English 'wh-' words, even though it is a feature of the language rather than a strict rule.

Q: How does क्या make a yes or no question?

When क्या (kya) sits at the very start of a sentence, it turns a statement into a yes/no question. क्या आप हिंदी बोलते हैं? means 'Do you speak Hindi?'. In the middle of a sentence, क्या instead means 'what'.

Q: How do you ask 'where' in Hindi?

Use कहाँ (kahaan). For example, स्टेशन कहाँ है? means 'Where is the station?'. The question word usually comes just before the verb है (hai, is).

The eight क-words that let you ask anything — what, who, when, where, why, how, how much, and which — each with example questions and pronunciation.

If you learn only one grammar set as a beginner, make it the question words. With these eight you can ask for directions, prices, names, times, and reasons — the backbone of every real conversation. The good news is a built-in memory hook: nearly all of them begin with the letter क (ka), the Hindi counterpart to English's "wh-" words. Learn the pattern once and the whole set comes together.

Hindi word order is gentler than English here. The question word usually sits just before the verb rather than jumping to the front of the sentence. "Where is the station?" is literally "station where is?" — स्टेशन कहाँ है? You don't rearrange the sentence the way English does; you simply drop the question word into the slot where the answer would go.

The eight core question words

Your starting set. Memorise these and you can build a question about almost anything.

The क-words — note how each maps to an English "wh-" word.
English	Hindi	Pronunciation
what	क्या	kya
who	कौन	kaun
when	कब	kab
where	कहाँ	kahaan
why	क्यों	kyon
how	कैसे	kaise
how much / how many	कितना	kitna
which	कौन-सा	kaun-sa

क्या — what (and yes/no questions)

क्या does double duty. In the middle of a sentence it means "what"; placed at the very start it flips a statement into a yes/no question.

Watch the position: front = yes/no marker, middle = "what".
English	Hindi	Pronunciation
What is this?	यह क्या है?	yah kya hai?
What is your name?	आपका नाम क्या है?	aapka naam kya hai?
Do you speak Hindi? (yes/no)	क्या आप हिंदी बोलते हैं?	kya aap hindi bolte hain?

कौन — who · कब — when

कौन asks about people; कब asks about time. Both sit just before the verb.

Asking about people and timing.
English	Hindi	Pronunciation
Who is this?	यह कौन है?	yah kaun hai?
Who are you?	आप कौन हैं?	aap kaun hain?
When will you come?	आप कब आएँगे?	aap kab aayenge?
When is the train?	ट्रेन कब है?	train kab hai?

कहाँ — where · क्यों — why

कहाँ is your direction-finder; क्यों asks for a reason. Both are everyday essentials.

Finding places and reasons.
English	Hindi	Pronunciation
Where is the station?	स्टेशन कहाँ है?	station kahaan hai?
Where are you going?	आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं?	aap kahaan ja rahe hain?
Why not?	क्यों नहीं?	kyon nahin?
Why are you late?	आप देर से क्यों आए?	aap der se kyon aaye?

कैसे — how · कितना — how much

कैसे asks manner ("in what way"); कितना asks quantity or price and changes form a little for gender and number (कितनी, कितने).

कैसे also greets — आप कैसे हैं? means "How are you?"
English	Hindi	Pronunciation
How are you?	आप कैसे हैं?	aap kaise hain?
How do I go there?	वहाँ कैसे जाऊँ?	wahaan kaise jaaoon?
How much is this?	यह कितने का है?	yah kitne ka hai?
How many people?	कितने लोग?	kitne log?

कौन-सा — which

कौन-सा singles one out from a set. Its ending agrees with the noun: कौन-सा (m.), कौन-सी (f.), कौन-से (pl.).

Choosing between options.
English	Hindi	Pronunciation
Which is your bag?	आपका बैग कौन-सा है?	aapka bag kaun-sa hai?
Which way? (road)	कौन-सा रास्ता?	kaun-sa raasta?
Which day?	कौन-सा दिन?	kaun-sa din?

The क्या trick, in one line. Start a sentence with क्या and you've asked a yes/no question; put it next to the verb and it means "what." Compare क्या यह चाय है? ("Is this tea?") with यह क्या है? ("What is this?"). Same word, different job — decided entirely by position.

A note on tone and register. Question words themselves don't change with formality, but the rest of the sentence does. The examples above mostly use the polite आप (aap) "you," which is the safe choice with strangers and elders. With friends you'd swap in तुम (tum) and adjust the verb — तुम कहाँ हो? instead of आप कहाँ हैं? for "where are you?" The question word कहाँ stays put; only the surrounding words shift.

Translate your own question

Have a specific question in mind? Type it in English below and see exactly how it's phrased in Hindi.

Frequently asked

What are the main question words in Hindi?

The core set is क्या (kya, what), कौन (kaun, who), कब (kab, when), कहाँ (kahaan, where), क्यों (kyon, why), कैसे (kaise, how), कितना (kitna, how much), and कौन-सा (kaun-sa, which).

Why do Hindi question words start with क?

Most share the letter क (ka) at the start — a handy memory hook, much like the English "wh-" words. It's a helpful pattern of the language rather than a strict rule.

How does क्या make a yes or no question?

When क्या (kya) sits at the very start of a sentence, it turns a statement into a yes/no question — क्या आप हिंदी बोलते हैं? means "Do you speak Hindi?". In the middle of a sentence, क्या instead means "what."

How do you ask "where" in Hindi?

Use कहाँ (kahaan). For example, स्टेशन कहाँ है? means "Where is the station?". The question word usually comes just before the verb है (hai, is).

Does कितना change form?

Yes. कितना agrees with the noun's gender and number: कितना (masculine), कितनी (feminine), and कितने (plural). The same agreement applies to कौन-सा / कौन-सी / कौन-से.