Learning how to ask questions is one of the most useful parts of learning Hindi. Whether you want to ask someone’s name, find a place, know the time, understand a reason, or simply start a conversation, you need a few basic Hindi question words.
The most common Hindi question words include क्या (kya), कौन (kaun), कहाँ (kahaan), कब (kab), क्यों (kyon), and कैसे (kaise). Other useful words include कौन सा (kaun sa), किसका (kiska), किसे (kise), कितना (kitna), and कितने (kitne).
In this guide, you will learn the English meaning, Hindi spelling, pronunciation, and simple examples of common question words in Hindi.
Hindi Question Words
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| What | क्या | Kya |
| Who | कौन | Kaun |
| Where | कहाँ | Kahaan |
| When | कब | Kab |
| Why | क्यों | Kyon |
| How | कैसे | Kaise |
| Which | कौन सा / कौन सी | Kaun sa / Kaun si |
| Whose | किसका / किसकी | Kiska / Kiski |
| Whom | किसे / किसको | Kise / Kisko |
| How much | कितना / कितनी | Kitna / Kitni |
| How many | कितने / कितनी | Kitne / Kitni |
1. What in Hindi – क्या (Kya)
The Hindi word for “what” is क्या (kya).
It is used when asking about a thing, action, information, or identity of something.
Examples
What is this?
यह क्या है?
Yah kya hai?
What is your name?
आपका नाम क्या है?
Aapka naam kya hai?
What are you doing?
आप क्या कर रहे हैं?
Aap kya kar rahe hain?
What do you want?
आप क्या चाहते हैं?
Aap kya chahte hain?
Important: “क्या” can also make a yes/no question
क्या does not always mean “what.”
When it is placed at the beginning of a sentence, it can be used to turn a statement into a yes/no question.
आप हिंदी बोलते हैं।
You speak Hindi.
क्या आप हिंदी बोलते हैं?
Do you speak Hindi?
So, the meaning of क्या depends on how it is used in the sentence.
2. Who in Hindi – कौन (Kaun)
The Hindi word for “who” is कौन (kaun).
Use कौन when asking about a person.
Examples
Who is he?
वह कौन है?
Vah kaun hai?
Who is she?
वह कौन है?
Vah kaun hai?
Who is your teacher?
आपके शिक्षक कौन हैं?
Aapke shikshak kaun hain?
Who is coming?
कौन आ रहा है?
Kaun aa raha hai?
3. Where in Hindi – कहाँ (Kahaan)
The Hindi word for “where” is कहाँ (kahaan).
Use कहाँ when asking about a place or location.
Examples
Where do you live?
आप कहाँ रहते हैं?
Aap kahaan rehte hain?
Where are you going?
आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं?
Aap kahaan ja rahe hain?
Where is the market?
बाज़ार कहाँ है?
Baazaar kahaan hai?
Where is my phone?
मेरा फोन कहाँ है?
Mera phone kahaan hai?
Where from – कहाँ से
When you mean “from where,” use कहाँ से (kahaan se).
Where are you coming from?
आप कहाँ से आ रहे हैं?
Aap kahaan se aa rahe hain?
Here, से (se) means “from.”
4. When in Hindi – कब (Kab)
The Hindi word for “when” is कब (kab).
Use कब when asking about time.
Examples
When will you come?
आप कब आएंगे?
Aap kab aayenge?
When is your birthday?
आपका जन्मदिन कब है?
Aapka janmadin kab hai?
When does the school start?
स्कूल कब शुरू होता है?
School kab shuru hota hai?
When will the train arrive?
ट्रेन कब आएगी?
Train kab aayegi?
5. Why in Hindi – क्यों (Kyon)
The Hindi word for “why” is क्यों (kyon).
Use क्यों when asking for a reason.
Examples
Why are you late?
आप देर से क्यों आए?
Aap der se kyon aaye?
Why are you crying?
आप क्यों रो रहे हैं?
Aap kyon ro rahe hain?
Why are you laughing?
आप क्यों हँस रहे हैं?
Aap kyon hans rahe hain?
Why did you come here?
आप यहाँ क्यों आए?
Aap yahaan kyon aaye?
6. How in Hindi – कैसे (Kaise)
The Hindi word for “how” is कैसे (kaise).
It is commonly used when asking about a manner, method, condition, or way of doing something.
Examples
How are you?
आप कैसे हैं?
Aap kaise hain?
How did this happen?
यह कैसे हुआ?
Yah kaise hua?
How do you know?
आपको कैसे पता?
Aapko kaise pata?
How can I do this?
मैं यह कैसे कर सकता हूँ?
Main yah kaise kar sakta hoon?
7. Which in Hindi – कौन सा, कौन सी, कौन से
The English word “which” is commonly expressed using forms of कौन (kaun).
The form can change depending on the noun.
| English | Hindi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Which one? | कौन सा? | Kaun sa? |
| Which? (feminine) | कौन सी? | Kaun si? |
| Which? (plural/context-dependent) | कौन से? | Kaun se? |
Examples
Which color do you like?
आपको कौन सा रंग पसंद है?
Aapko kaun sa rang pasand hai?
Which book do you want?
आपको कौन सी किताब चाहिए?
Aapko kaun si kitaab chahiye?
Which clothes will you wear?
आप कौन से कपड़े पहनेंगे?
Aap kaun se kapde pehnenge?
8. Whose in Hindi – किसका, किसकी, किसके
The English word “whose” is commonly expressed with forms such as किसका (kiska), किसकी (kiski), and किसके (kiske).
The form changes according to the noun or grammatical context.
Examples
Whose book is this?
यह किसकी किताब है?
Yah kiski kitaab hai?
Whose phone is this?
यह किसका फोन है?
Yah kiska phone hai?
Whose house is this?
यह किसका घर है?
Yah kiska ghar hai?
9. Whom in Hindi – किसे / किसको
The English word “whom” can be expressed using forms such as किसे (kise) or किसको (kisko).
Examples
Whom did you meet?
आप किससे मिले?
Aap kisse mile?
Whom did you call?
आपने किसको फोन किया?
Aapne kisko phone kiya?
In everyday Hindi, the exact form can change according to the relationship between the question word and the verb.
10. How Much in Hindi – कितना / कितनी
How much can be translated as कितना (kitna) or कितनी (kitni) depending on the noun or context.
Examples
How much does this cost?
यह कितने का है?
Yah kitne ka hai?
How much water do you need?
आपको कितना पानी चाहिए?
Aapko kitna paani chahiye?
How much time do you need?
आपको कितना समय चाहिए?
Aapko kitna samay chahiye?
11. How Many in Hindi – कितने / कितनी
Use कितने (kitne) or कितनी (kitni) when asking about a number or quantity.
Examples
How many books do you have?
आपके पास कितनी किताबें हैं?
Aapke paas kitni kitaabein hain?
How many people are there?
वहाँ कितने लोग हैं?
Vahaan kitne log hain?
How many students are in the class?
कक्षा में कितने विद्यार्थी हैं?
Kaksha mein kitne vidyaarthi hain?
Common Hindi Question Words at a Glance
Here is a simple list to remember:
| Question Word | English Meaning | Mainly Used For |
|---|---|---|
| क्या (Kya) | What | Things, actions, information |
| कौन (Kaun) | Who | People |
| कहाँ (Kahaan) | Where | Place |
| कब (Kab) | When | Time |
| क्यों (Kyon) | Why | Reason |
| कैसे (Kaise) | How | Manner or method |
| कौन सा (Kaun sa) | Which | Choice |
| किसका (Kiska) | Whose | Possession |
| किसे (Kise) | Whom | Person receiving an action |
| कितना (Kitna) | How much | Quantity |
| कितने (Kitne) | How many | Number/quantity |
20 Common Questions in Hindi and English
If you are learning Hindi for everyday conversation, these questions are useful to practice.
| English Question | Hindi Question | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| What is your name? | आपका नाम क्या है? | Aapka naam kya hai? |
| What are you doing? | आप क्या कर रहे हैं? | Aap kya kar rahe hain? |
| What is this? | यह क्या है? | Yah kya hai? |
| Who is he? | वह कौन है? | Vah kaun hai? |
| Who is she? | वह कौन है? | Vah kaun hai? |
| Where do you live? | आप कहाँ रहते हैं? | Aap kahaan rehte hain? |
| Where are you going? | आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं? | Aap kahaan ja rahe hain? |
| Where is the market? | बाज़ार कहाँ है? | Baazaar kahaan hai? |
| When will you come? | आप कब आएंगे? | Aap kab aayenge? |
| When is the meeting? | मीटिंग कब है? | Meeting kab hai? |
| Why are you late? | आप देर से क्यों आए? | Aap der se kyon aaye? |
| Why are you laughing? | आप क्यों हँस रहे हैं? | Aap kyon hans rahe hain? |
| How are you? | आप कैसे हैं? | Aap kaise hain? |
| How did this happen? | यह कैसे हुआ? | Yah kaise hua? |
| Which book do you want? | आपको कौन सी किताब चाहिए? | Aapko kaun si kitaab chahiye? |
| Whose phone is this? | यह किसका फोन है? | Yah kiska phone hai? |
| How much does this cost? | यह कितने का है? | Yah kitne ka hai? |
| How many people are there? | वहाँ कितने लोग हैं? | Vahaan kitne log hain? |
| Where are you from? | आप कहाँ से हैं? | Aap kahaan se hain? |
| Why did you come here? | आप यहाँ क्यों आए? | Aap yahaan kyon aaye? |
How Are Questions Formed in Hindi?
One useful difference between English and Hindi is the usual word order.
English often places the question word at the beginning:
Where are you going?
Hindi can keep the question word in the position where the missing informa