Where does “কি” come from?
কি (Assamese) comes from Sanskrit किम्, from Proto-Indo-Aryan kás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian kás, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.
কি (Assamese): what?
Ancestry of “কি”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | किम् | what; how, why; question marker: whether ..., do... |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | kás | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | kás | who |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |