कई

See also: कोई

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit [Term?], from Sanskrit कतिपय (katipayá, “several”), from कति (kati).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /kə.iː/, [kɐ.iː]

Pronoun

कई • (kaī) (Urdu spelling کئی)

1. several things, several people (animate/inanimate plural (several))
2. many, many people

   कइयों ने कहे हैं ― kaiyõ ne kahe ha͠i ― many (people) have said

Declension

Pronoun declension of कई

direct	कई kaī
indirect	कइयों kaïyõ
ergative	कइयों ने kaïyõ ne
genitive	कइयों का kaïyõ kā
dative	कइयों को kaïyõ ko
instrumental/ablative	कइयों से kaïyõ se
inessive	कइयों में kaïyõ mẽ
adessive	कइयों पे, कइयों पर kaïyõ pe, kaïyõ par
terminative	कइयों तक kaïyõ tak
semblative	कइयों सा kaïyõ sā

Determiner

कई • (kaī) (Urdu spelling کئی)

1. several, many

   Synonym: बहुत (bahut)

   दुकान आज कई लोग आये हैं।

   dukān āj kaī log āye ha͠i.

   Many people have come to the shop today.

2. of several kinds; varied

   कई मौसम के दिन ― kaī mausam ke din ― days of varied weather

Declension

Does not decline as a determiner.

Related terms

• कोई (koī) (animate singular)
• कुछ (kuch) (inanimate singular, animate/inanimate plural (some))

See also

• See Hindi Indefinite Pronouns

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “कई”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Platts, John T. (1884) “कई”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• “कई”, in Collins Gem Hindi-English Dictionary, Collins, 2011, →ISBN