Where does “क्यों” come from?
क्यों (Hindi) comes from Sauraseni Apabhramsa किंव, from Sanskrit किम्, from Proto-Indo-Aryan kás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian kás, from Proto-Indo-European kʷós — who.
क्यों (Hindi): why
Ancestry of “क्यों”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sauraseni Apabhramsa | किंव | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | किम् | what; how, why; question marker: whether ..., do... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | kás | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | kás | who |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |
Words derived from “क्यों”