क

See also: क़

क U+0915, क DEVANAGARI LETTER KA ← औ [U+0914] Devanagari ख → [U+0916]

Translingual

Stroke order.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kə/

Letter

क (ka)

1. The Devanagari script’s unvoiced, unaspirated guttural consonant; k /k/

See also

This letter creates several irregular ligatures.

• क्त (kt) (kta): क + त
• क्ष (kṣ) (kṣa): क + ष

Dhivehi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kə]

Letter

क • (ka)

1. The eighth consonant in Dhivehi, written in Devanagari

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /kə/, [kɐ]

Letter

क • (ka)

1. the first consonant in Hindi

See also

• (nuqta form): क़ (qa)
• (Devanagari script letters) अ,‎ आ,‎ इ,‎ ई,‎ उ,‎ ऊ,‎ ऋ,‎ ए,‎ ऐ,‎ ओ,‎ औ,‎ अं,‎ अः,‎ अँ,‎ क,‎ ख,‎ ग,‎ घ,‎ ङ,‎ च,‎ छ,‎ ज,‎ झ,‎ ञ,‎ ट,‎ ठ,‎ ड,‎ ढ,‎ ण,‎ त,‎ थ,‎ द,‎ ध,‎ न,‎ प,‎ फ,‎ ब,‎ भ,‎ म,‎ य,‎ र,‎ ल,‎ व,‎ श,‎ ष,‎ स,‎ ह,‎ त्र,‎ ज्ञ,‎ क्ष,‎ क़,‎ ख़,‎ ग़,‎ ज़,‎ झ़,‎ ड़,‎ ढ़,‎ फ़ ^{(Category: Hindi letters) [edit]}

Marathi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kə/

• Audio

  (file)

Letter

क • (ka)

1. The first consonant in Marathi.

Nepali

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kʌ]
• Phonetic Devanagari: क

Letter

क • (ka)

1. The first consonant in Nepali.

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• ka (Latin script)
• 𑀓 (Brahmi script)
• ক (Bengali script)
• ක (Sinhalese script)
• က or ၵ (Burmese script)
• ก or กะ (Thai script)
• ᨠ (Tai Tham script)
• ກ or ກະ (Lao script)
• ក (Khmer script)
• 𑄇 (Chakma script)

Pronoun

क m

1. Devanagari script form of ka (“who (m.)”)
   • c. 500 AD, Kaccāyana, Pālivyākaraṇaṃ [Pali Grammar]‎^[1], page 2; republished as Satish Chandra Acharyya Vidyabhusana, editor, Kaccayana's Pali Grammar (edited in Devanagari character and translated into English), Calcutta, Bengal: Mahabodhi Society, 1901:

     अक्खर इच्‍चनेन क्वत्‍थो? अत्थो अक्खर-सञ्ञातो

     Akkhara iccanena kvattho? Attho akkhara-saññāto.

     What is the meaning of this, viz. a 'letter'? The meaning comes from being skilled in letters.

Declension

Declension table of "क" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	को (ko)	के (ke)
Accusative (second)	कं (kaṃ)	के (ke)
Instrumental (third)	केन (kena)	केहि (kehi) or केभि (kebhi)
Dative (fourth)	कस्स (kassa) or किस्स (kissa)	केसं (kesaṃ) or केसानं (kesānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	कस्मा (kasmā) or किस्मा (kismā)	केहि (kehi) or केभि (kebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	कस्स (kassa) or किस्स (kissa)	केसं (kesaṃ) or केसानं (kesānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	कस्मिं (kasmiṃ) or कम्हि (kamhi) or किस्मिं (kismiṃ) or किम्हि (kimhi)	केसु (kesu)

Pronoun

क n

1. Devanagari script form of ka (“what”)

Declension

Declension table of "क" (neuter)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	किं (kiṃ)	कानि (kāni)
Accusative (second)	किं (kiṃ)	कानि (kāni)
Instrumental (third)	केन (kena)	केहि (kehi) or केभि (kebhi)
Dative (fourth)	कस्स (kassa) or किस्स (kissa)	केसं (kesaṃ) or केसानं (kesānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	कस्मा (kasmā) or किस्मा (kismā)	केहि (kehi) or केभि (kebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	कस्स (kassa) or किस्स (kissa)	केसं (kesaṃ) or केसानं (kesānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	कस्मिं (kasmiṃ) or कम्हि (kamhi) or किस्मिं (kismiṃ) or किम्हि (kimhi)	केसु (kesu)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ক (Assamese script)
• ᬓ (Balinese script)
• ক (Bengali script)
• 𑰎 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓 (Brahmi script)
• က (Burmese script)
• ક (Gujarati script)
• ਕ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕 (Grantha script)
• ꦏ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍 (Kaithi script)
• ಕ (Kannada script)
• ក (Khmer script)
• ກ (Lao script)
• ക (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎 (Modi script)
• ᢉᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎 (Newa script)
• କ (Odia script)
• ꢒ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎 (Siddham script)
• ක (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊 (Takri script)
• க (Tamil script)
• క (Telugu script)
• ก (Thai script)
• ཀ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kɐ/

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ́/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kɐ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *kás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kás, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷós. Cognate with Avestan 𐬐𐬀 (ka), Ancient Greek ποῖος (poîos), Latin quis, Old English hwā (whence English who).

Pronoun

क • (ká)

1. interrogative pronoun; who, what, which

   सः कः? ― saḥ kaḥ? ― Who is he?

   एषः कः? ― eṣaḥ kaḥ? ― What is this?

Usage notes

Sentences beginning with क (ka) are often terminated with इति (iti).

Declension

See किम् (kim).

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

क • (ka) stem, m

1. a name
   1. name of (a) प्रजापति (prajāpati)
   2. name of ब्रह्मन् (brahman)
   3. name of दक्ष (dakṣa)
   4. name of विष्णु (viṣṇu)
   5. name of यम (yama)
   6. name of गरुड (garuḍa)
2. the soul
3. a particular comet
4. the sun
5. fire
6. splendor, light
7. air
8. a peacock
9. the body
10. time
11. wealth
12. sound
13. a king
14. Synonym of काम-ग्रन्थि (kāma-granthi)?

Etymology 3

From कम् (kam, “to wish, desire, love”).

Noun

क • (ka) stem, n

1. happiness, joy, pleasure
2. water
3. the head
4. hair, a head of hair

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “क”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 247/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 284-285