Declension of interrogative pronoun ‘ka’
Declension of interrogative pronoun ‘ka’
Masculine : ko
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Paṭhamā | ko | ke |
| Dutiyā | kaṃ | ke |
| Tatiyā | kena | kehi, kebhi |
| Catutthī | kassa, kissa | kesaṃ, kesānaṃ |
| Pañcamī | kasmā, kismā, kamhā | kehi, kebhi |
| Chaṭṭhī | kassa, kissa | kesaṃ, kesānaṃ |
| Sattamī | kasmiṃ, kamhi, kismiṃ, kimhi | kesu |
Neuter : kiṃ
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Paṭhamā | kiṃ, kaṃ | ke, kāni |
| Dutiyā | kiṃ, kaṃ | ke, kāni |
| The declension of neuter pronoun ‘ka’ is similar to that of masculine pronoun ‘ka’ for Instrumental to Locative cases. | ||
Feminine : kā
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Paṭhamā | kā | kā, kāyo |
| Dutiyā | kaṃ | kā, kāyo |
| Tatiyā | kāya | kāhi, kābhi |
| Catutthī | kassā, kāya | kāsaṃ, kāsānaṃ |
| Pañcamī | kāya | kāhi, kābhi |
| Chaṭṭhī | kassā, kāya | kāsaṃ, kāsānaṃ |
| Sattamī | kassaṃ, kāyaṃ | kāsu |
The usage of cases is the same across all the nouns, pronouns etc.
Let us translate a few simple Pali sentences into English to understand the usage of various declined forms of these pronouns.
1. Ko so puriso?
ko (masc. nom. s) = who
Translation : Who is that man?
2. Tumhākaṃ mitto kena saddhiṃ bhāsati?
tumhākaṃ = your,
kena (masc. inst. s) = by / with / through whom
Translation : With whom your friend is talking?
3. Kasmā seṭṭhinā tumhe dānaṃ labhissatha?
kasmā (masc. abl. s) = from whom / which,
seṭṭhī = banker, rich man;
Translation : From which rich man / person will you receive the offering?
4. Kāhi latāhi sā pupphāni ocini?
kāhi (fem. abl. p) = from which,
latā = vine, creeper;
sā = she,
ocini (PT, third p. s of ocināti) = plucked, picked
Translation : From which creepers did she pick the flowers?
5. Kāyaṃ pokkharaṇiyaṃ padumāni ahesuṃ?
kāyaṃ (fem. loc. s) = in which,
pokkharaṇī = pond, lake;
paduma = lotus,
ahesuṃ = (PT, third p. p of hoti) = were
Translation : In which lake were there lotuses? (Which lake had lotuses in it?)
6. Kāni phalāni bhuñjituṃ icchasi?
kāni (neut. nom. p) = which,
Translation : Which fruits do you wish to eat?
7. Iminā maggena kiṃ nagaraṃ pāpuṇissāma?
iminā maggena = by this road,
kiṃ (neut. acc. s) = which,
pāpuṇissāma (FT, first p. p) = we will reach
Translation : Which town will we reach by this road?
(The question implies – where does this road lead / where will we reach going along this road)