کی

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

کی (gäy) (plural کی‌لار (gäylär))

1. a sort of hunt bird

• Courteille, Abel Pavet de (1870) “کی”, in Dictionnaire turk-oriental [Eastern Turkic Dictionary]‎^[1] (in French), Paris: Imprimerie Impériale, page 482
• el-Buhari, Süleyman Özbeki (1881) “کی”, in لغت چغتای و ترکی عثمانی [Ottoman Turkish-Chagatai Dictionary]‎^[2] (in Ottoman Turkish), volume 1, page 263

Inherited from Proto-Common Turkic *ked, from Sogdian 𐼸𐼰𐼹𐼷 (kʾδy).

کی (käy)

1. (rare) very, many

Borrowed from Classical Persian کَیْ (kay).

کی (käy) (plural کیان (käyān))

1. a big ruler

• Bahawudun, Muhemmettursun, Gheyurani, Ghenizat, Qadir, Isma'il, Ehet, Ablimit (2002) “كەي”, in چاغاتاي تىلىنىڭ ئىزاھلىق لۇغىتى [Explanatory Dictionary of the Chagatai Language]‎^[3] (in Uyghur), Shinjang Xelq Neshriyati, →ISBN, page 527

کی (käy)

1. (poetic) contraction of که ای (“vocative particle, O”)

• Bahawudun, Muhemmettursun, Gheyurani, Ghenizat, Qadir, Isma'il, Ehet, Ablimit (2002) “كەي”, in چاغاتاي تىلىنىڭ ئىزاھلىق لۇغىتى [Explanatory Dictionary of the Chagatai Language]‎^[4] (in Uyghur), Shinjang Xelq Neshriyati, →ISBN, page 527

• IPA^(key): /kiː/

کی (kī)

1. marks the dative case

From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (AYMT /⁠kay⁠/) 𐫐𐫏𐫏 (kyy /⁠kay⁠/), 𐫐𐫏 (ky /⁠kay⁠/).

کی • (key)

1. (interrogative) when?

   کَی خَو می‌رِی؟ ― kay xaw mē-rī? ― when are you going to sleep? (Dari, informal)

From Middle Persian 𐫐𐫏 (ky /⁠kē⁠/).

کی • (ki)

1. (interrogative) who?

   شما کی هستین؟ ― šomâ ki hastin? ― Who are you? (informal polite)

• که (ke) (archaic)

Inherited from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kad /⁠kay⁠/, “legendary ancient king of Iran”), borrowed from Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬌 (kauui, “poet, bard; vision-poet, Mazdean sacrificer”), from Proto-Iranian *káwHiš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *káwHiš, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-. The visionary poets of the Avesta were mistakenly interpreted as ancient kings by the Sasanian Zoroastrian priests.

کی • (key) (plural کیان (kayân))

1. (Iranian mythology) Key, Kay: the title of a number of legendary kings of Iran, belonging to the mythical Kayanian dynasty.

• کی‌قباد (key-qobâd)
• کی‌کاووس (key-kâvus)
• کی‌خسرو (key-xosrow)
• کی‌لهراسپ (key-lohrâsp)
• کی‌گشتاسپ (key-goštâsp)
• کی‌بهمن (key-bahman)
• کی‌داراب (key-dârâb)
• کی‌آرش (key-âraš)
• کی‌پشین (key-pašin)
• کی‌اپیوه (key-apive)
• کی‌اردشیر (key-ardešir)
• کی‌منش (key-maneš)
• کی‌ارمین (key-armin)

• → Chagatai: کی (käy)

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kiː/

کی • (kī) (Hindi spelling की)

1. feminine of کا (kā)

• “کی”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “کی”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.