ᠠᡳ

Manchu

Etymology

From Proto-Tungusic *xa- (“interrogative stem”). Cognate with Orok xai (“what”).

Compared to Proto-Turkic *ka- (“interrogative stem”), Proto-Mongolic *ka- (“interrogative stem”), Kazakh қай (qai, “which”), Yakut хайа (qaya, “what”). See also Mongolian хаана (xaana, “where”), Kazakh қайда (qaida, “where”), Kazakh қашан (qaşan, “when”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): [ai]

Pronoun

ᠠᡳ • (ai)

1. (interrogative) what

Related terms

• ᠠᡳᠨᠠᡵᠠ (ainara)
• ᠠᡳᠨᡠ (ainu)
• ᠠᡳᠪᡳᡩᡝ (aibide)
• ᠠᡳᠪᡳᡩᡝᡵᡳ (aibideri)
• ᠠᡳᠰᡝᠮᡝ (aiseme)
• ᠠᡳᠴᡳ (aici)