ਕੌਣ

Punjabi

Etymology

Inherited from Takka Apabhramsa 𑆑𑆮𑆟 (kavaṇa, “who”), from Sanskrit कः पुनर् (kaḥ punar).

Cognates

Compare Hindi कौन (kaun), Gujarati કોણ (koṇ), and Bengali কোন (kōn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔːɳə̆/, /kəuɳə̆/

Pronoun

ਕੌਣ • (kauṇă) (Shahmukhi کَون)

1. who (interrogative)

   ਤੂੰ ਕੌਣ ਹੈਂ?

   tū̃ kauṇ haĩ?

   Who are you?

Further reading

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kaḥ punar”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 127
• “ਕੌਣ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2024
• Singh, Bhai Maya (1895) “ਕੌਣ”, in The Panjabi Dictionary, Lahore: Munshi Gulab Singh and Sons, page 571.