কই

Bengali

Alternative forms

• কৈ (kōi)

Pronunciation

• (Rarh) IPA^(key): /koi̯/, [ˈkoi̯]

  Audio:

  (file)

• (Dhaka) IPA^(key): /koi̯/, [ˈkoi̯]

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle Bengali কহি (kohi), from Sanskrit *क्वधि (kvadhi), derived from क्व (kvà, “where?”), from Proto-Indo-European *kúwo. Compare Early Assamese কহিত (kohito),

Adverb

কই • (koi)

1. where

   Synonym: কোথায় (kōthaẏ)

   তুমি কই?

   tumi koi?

   Where are you?

References

• Sen, Sukumar (1971) An Etymological Dictionary of Bengali: c. 1000-1800 A.D.‎^[1], Calcutta: Eastern Publishers, page 125.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Sanskrit कवयी (kavayī), a compound of क (ka, “water”) +‎ वय् (vay, “to go”) +‎ -ई (-ī, nominal suffix), literally meaning "the one who goes through water"; the second element is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- (“to chase”).

Noun

কই • (koi)

1. Gangetic koi, Anabas cobojius

Inflection

Animate

indefinite forms
nominative	কই (kôi)
objective	কইকে (kôike)
genitive	কইর (kôir)
definite forms
	singular	plural
nominative	কইটা, কইটি (kôiṭa (colloquial), kôiṭi (formal))	কইরা (kôira)
objective	কইটাকে, কইটিকে (kôiṭake (colloquial), kôiṭike (formal))	কইদের(কে) (kôider(ke))
genitive	কইটার, কইটির (kôiṭar (colloquial), kôiṭir (formal))	কইদের (kôider)
Objective Note: In some dialects, -রে (-re) marks this case instead of -কে (-ke).

Inanimate

indefinite forms
nominative	কই (kôi)
objective	কই / কইকে (kôi (semantically general or indefinite) / kôike (semantically definite))
genitive	কইর (kôir)
locative	কইতে (kôite)
definite forms
	singular	plural
nominative	কইটা , কইটি (kôiṭa (colloquial), kôiṭi (formal))	কইগুলা, কইগুলো (kôigula (colloquial), kôigulo (formal))
objective	কইটা, কইটি (kôiṭa (colloquial), kôiṭi (formal))	কইগুলা, কইগুলো (kôigula (colloquial), kôigulo (formal))
genitive	কইটার, কইটির (kôiṭar (colloquial), kôiṭir (formal))	কইগুলার, কইগুলোর (kôigular (colloquial), kôigulor (formal))
locative	কইটাতে / কইটায়, কইটিতে (kôiṭate / kôiṭay (colloquial), kôiṭite (formal))	কইগুলাতে / কইগুলায়, কইগুলোতে (kôigulate / kôigulay (colloquial), kôigulote (formal))
Objective Note: In some dialects, -রে (-re) marks this case instead of -কে (-ke).