ku

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ku"

Languages (55)

Afar • Ainu • Albanian • Anguthimri • Bambara • Basque • Bura • Czech • Esperanto • Ewe • Faroese • Finnish • French • Guinea-Bissau Creole • Gun • Ifè • Indonesian • Ingrian • Japanese • Javanese • Jingpho • Kabuverdianu • Kapampangan • Karelian • Latin • Livonian • Lower Sorbian • Lutuv • Malay • Mandarin • Mauritian Creole • Middle English • Musi • Northern Kurdish • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old Polish • Papiamentu • Pnar • Polish • Silesian • Sumerian • Talysh • Tat • Ter Sami • Tocharian A • Tocharian B • Tsonga • Unami • Veps • Votic • Wakhi • Xârâcùù • Yoruba

Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

ku

(international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Kurdish.

Afar

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/ [ˈkʊ]

Determiner

kú

thy, your

References

E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “ku”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[1], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Ainu

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

(Saru, before vowels) k

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ku]

Pronoun

ku= (Kana spelling ク)

I (first-person singular subject pronoun)

Usage notes

Used before verbs and adjectives to express the first person. When isolated, kuani is used. They can also be used together, thus:

Kuani ku=arpa wa ku=ye. ― I will go and tell him.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ku]

Verb

ku (Kana spelling ク)

to drink

Derived terms

iku (“to drink strong drink”)

Albanian

Alternative forms

(Gheg) kû, kûn, kûh, ka, kah

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *ku, from Proto-Indo-European *kú (“where?”). Cognate to Proto-Baltic *kur (“where”) (Lithuanian kur̃ (“where”), kur (“where”), Latvian kur), Proto-Slavic *kъde (“where”) (Old Church Slavonic къде (kŭde, “where”), Russian где (gde)) and Sanskrit कुह (kúha, “where”) (cf. also Sanskrit कू (kū́, “where”), Avestan 𐬐𐬎𐬛𐬁 (kudā), 𐬐𐬏 (kū)).^[1]

See also Albanian kur (“when”).^[2]

Adverb

ku

where (asking about a place, where or towards which direction)
Ku po shkon? ― Where are you going?
where ... at
Ku je? ― Where (are) you at?
whither, whereto
whence, where from
how (to/that)
Synonym: si (qysh (Gheg))

Ku e din ai? ― How does he (want to) know that?

Ku më dit unë? ― How do I know that? (Gheg)
where, whither; there, thither (used to connect repetitive verbs; indicating location, direction)

Particle

ku

where (used for rhetorical questions)
where to where whither (used repeatedly, to accentuate significant differences between two objects)

Related terms

asgjëkund (“nowhere”), asgjëkundi (“id”)
askund (“nowhere”), askundi (“id”)
diku (“somewhere”)
gjëkund (“nowhere”), gjëkund (“id”)
kah m (“direction”), kahu m (“id”)
këtu (“here”)
(Gheg) këtû, qaty (Gheg Albanian)
kudo (“wherever”)
kudo (“anywhere”)
kudoqoftë (“anywhere”)
kur (“when”)
kurrkund (“nowhere”)
ndokund (“somewhere”)

References

^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “ku”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 207
^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “ku”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 206.

Anguthimri

Noun

ku

(Mpakwithi) tree
(Mpakwithi) wood
(Mpakwithi) stick

References

Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 186

Bambara

Noun

ku

tail
yam

Derived terms

Basque

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/, [ku]

Noun

ku inan

The name of the Latin-script letter Q/q.

Declension

Declension of ku (inanimate, ending in vowel)
	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	ku	kua	kuak
ergative	kuk	kuak	kuek
dative	kuri	kuari	kuei
genitive	kuren	kuaren	kuen
comitative	kurekin	kuarekin	kuekin
causative	kurengatik	kuarengatik	kuengatik
benefactive	kurentzat	kuarentzat	kuentzat
instrumental	kuz	kuaz	kuez
inessive	kutan	kuan	kuetan
locative	kutako	kuko	kuetako
allative	kutara	kura	kuetara
terminative	kutaraino	kuraino	kuetaraino
directive	kutarantz	kurantz	kuetarantz
destinative	kutarako	kurako	kuetarako
ablative	kutatik	kutik	kuetatik
partitive	kurik	—	—
prolative	kutzat	—	—

Bura

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [kú]

Noun

ku

hole

References

2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *kъ(n).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈku]
Audio: (file)

Preposition

ku

(informal) to (in the direction of, and arriving at)
Synonyms: k, ke

Esperanto

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/
Rhymes: -u
Hyphenation: ku

Noun

ku

alternative form of kuo

Ewe

Verb

kuku

to die

Faroese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin kū.

Noun

ku n (genitive singular kus, plural ku)

The name of the Latin-script letter Q/q.

Declension

n3	singular		plural
n3	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ku	kuið	ku	kuini
accusative	ku	kuið	ku	kuini
dative	kui	kuinum	kuum	kuunum
genitive	kus	kusins	kua	kuanna

Finnish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku(ˣ)/, [ˈku(ʔ)]
Rhymes: -u
Syllabification^(key): ku
Hyphenation^(key): ku

Conjunction

ku (colloquial)

alternative form of kun
Se ilmesty antamaan ohjeita ku mä olin jo saanu työn valmiiks.
He showed up to give instructions when I had already finished the job.
alternative form of kuin

Particle

ku (colloquial)

alternative form of kuin
Risto oli puhunu Pekan kaa useemmin ku (mitä) päiväkirja antaa ymmärtää.
Risto had been talking with Pekka more often than the diary lets one understand.

French

Alternative forms

cu (much less common)
qu (less common)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ky/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -y
Homophones: cul, culs, cu, cus, kus, qu, qus

Noun

ku m (plural kus)

cue, The name of the Latin-script letter Q/q.

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology 1

From Portuguese quando. Cognate with Kabuverdianu kantu.

Pronoun

ku

when

Etymology 2

From Portuguese com. Cognate with Kabuverdianu ku.

Preposition

ku

with

Gun

Alternative forms

okú

Etymology

From Proto-Gbe *kú (“to die”), *-kú (“death”).^[1] Cognates include Fon kú, Xwela Gbe nku, Adja kú (v.), Adja eku (n.), Saxwe Gbe kú (v.), Saxwe Gbe okú (n.), Ewe ku (v.), Ewe eku (n.), Yoruba kú (v.), Yoruba ikú (n.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kú/

Noun

kú (plural kú lɛ́ or kú lẹ́)

death

Derived terms

fɔ́nsɔ́nkú (“resurrection”)
fọ́nsọ́nkú (“resurrection”)

Verb

kú

to die

References

^ Capo, Hounkpati B.C. (1991) A Comparative Phonology of Gbe (Publications in African Languages and Linguistics; 14), Berlin/New York, Garome, Benin: Foris Publications & Labo Gbe (Int), page 214

Ifè

Etymology

Proposed to derive from Proto-Yoruboid *kú or Proto-Yoruboid *kpú. Cognates are extensive throughout many different branches of Niger-Congo. Cognate with Igala kwú, Tiv *kpe, Ibibio *kpa, Proto-Jukunoid *kwu-, Ewe *kuku and Awing *kfu (from Proto-Grassfields *kÚ(a)).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kú/

Verb

kú

to die

Indonesian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/

Etymology 1

Pronoun

ku

aphetic form of aku
(text messaging, informal) alternative spelling of -ku

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Min Nan 龜／龟 (ku, “turtle; tortoise”).

Noun

ku

(cooking) Ang ku kueh: a small round or oval-shaped Chinese sweet dumpling with soft, sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet central filling

Etymology 3

Unadapted borrowing from Japanese 區(く) (ku, “ward, section, district”). Romanised according modified Kunrei-shiki romanization.

Noun

ku

(historical, 1942-1945) synonym of desa (“village”)

Ingrian

Alternative forms

ko

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ku, from Proto-Uralic *ku-. Akin to Finnish kun and Estonian kui.

Pronunciation

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈku/, [ˈku]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈku/, [ˈku]
Rhymes: -u
Hyphenation: ku

Conjunction

ku

than
- 1936, V. I. Junus, Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[3], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 4:
  Laukaal monikkaat äänet saotaa toiseel viisii, ku Soikkolas, sannoin painutos, sklonenja, Laukaal ono vähä toisenlaajain, ja Laukaal ono sanoja, kumpa Soikkolaas ei oo, tali kummat Soikkolaas merkitsööt toista assiaa, ku Laukaal.
  In the Lower Luga dialect some sounds are pronounced in a different way, than in the Soikkola dialect, the inflection, declension of words, is a little different in Lower Luga, and Lower Luga has words, that aren't in Soikkola, or that in Soikkola mean different things, than in Lower Luga.
like, how, to
- 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa) [Geography: textbook for Ingrian elementary school third grade (first part)], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 6:
  Miä muissin, kui möö hulkuimma metsää mööt, yhenlain ku sokkiat, ja nyt kovin meinaisin oppihussa löytämää teetä, samalviittää kui pioneerat.
  I remembered, how we wandered along the forest, similar to blind people, and now I really decided to learn to find the way, just like the pioneers.

Derived terms

ku vaa

References

Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 210

Japanese

Romanization

ku

The hiragana syllable く (ku) or the katakana syllable ク (ku) in Hepburn romanization.

Javanese

Etymology 1

Shortened form of aku, from Old Javanese aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aku, from Proto-Austronesian *aku.

Pronoun

ku (personal pronoun, informal)

I (personal pronoun)
me (direct object of a verb)
me (object of a preposition)
me (indirect object of a verb)
my (belonging to me)

Etymology 2

Clipping of iku

Determiner

ku

that, those

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese ကူး (ku:).

Verb

ku

to copy

References

Kurabe, Keita (2016 December 31) “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎^[4], volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 91–128

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese com.

Preposition

ku

with

Kapampangan

Alternative forms

ko
ke
co (obsolete)
k, q (text messaging slang)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-ku, from Proto-Austronesian *-ku. Compare Malay -ku.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/ [ˈku]
Hyphenation: ku

Pronoun

ku (postpositive)

my; mine
Synonym: (prepositive) kanaku

Ing bale ku. ― My house.

King babo ku. ― Above me. (literally, “my above”)
I; me (indirect)
Synonym: (prepositive) kanaku

Sepu ke ing bola ku.
I caught the ball.
(literally, “The ball was caught by me.”)

Karelian

Regional variants of ku
North Karelian (Viena)	ku
South Karelian (Tver)	ku

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ku. Cognates include Finnish ku-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/
Hyphenation: ku

Determiner

ku

(interrogative) what? which?

Pronoun

ku

(relative) which

Declension

Viena Karelian declension of ku (irregular)
	singular	plural
nominative	ku	kut
genitive	kun	kun
partitive	kuta	kuta
illative	kuh	kuh
inessive	kušša	kušša
elative	kušta	kušta
adessive	kulla	kulla
ablative	kulta	kulta
translative	kukši	kukši
essive	kuna	kuna
comitative	—	kuneh
abessive	kutta	kutta

Tver Karelian declension of ku (irregular)
	singular	plural
nominative	ku	kut
genitive	kun	kun
partitive	kuda	kuta
illative	kuh	kuh
inessive	kušša	kušša
elative	kušta	kušta
adessive	kulla	kulla
ablative	kulda	kulda
translative	kukši	kukši
essive	kuna	kuna
comitative	kunke	kunke
abessive	kutta	kutta

References

A. V. Punzhina (1994) “ku”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN
P. Zaykov, L. Rugoyeva (1999) “ku”, in Карельско-Русский словарь (Северно-Карельские диалекты) [Karelian-Russian dictionary (North Karelian dialects)], Petrozavodsk, →ISBN

Latin

The name of the letter Q.

Coordinate terms

(Latin-script letter names) littera; ā, bē, cē, dē, ē, ef, gē, hā / *acca, ī, kā, el, em, en, ō, pē, kū, er, es, tē, ū, ix / īx / ex, ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon, zēta

References

Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32
Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū — each, again, with a long vowel sound.

Livonian

Alternative forms

kui (Courland)

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ku, from Proto-Uralic *ku- ~ *ko-. Related to Estonian kuidas and Finnish kuinka. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronoun

ku

how

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/

Preposition

ku [with dative]

alternative form of k (used before ch, g, and k)

Lutuv

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *kaw, from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *(g/k)aw

Verb

ku

to call

Malay

Alternative forms

aku, daku

Etymology

Shortened form of aku, from Proto-Malayic *aku, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *aku, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aku, from Proto-Austronesian *aku.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/
Rhymes: -ku, -u

Pronoun

ku (Jawi spelling کو) (informal)

I (personal pronoun)
Kutahu.
I know.
me (direct object of a verb)
Dia mengenaliku.
He knows me.
me (object of a preposition)
Dia pergi denganku.
He went with me.
me (indirect object of a verb)
my (belonging to me)
Ini barangku.
This is my stuff.

Derived terms

ku-
-ku

Mandarin

Romanization

ku

nonstandard spelling of kū
nonstandard spelling of kǔ
nonstandard spelling of kù

Usage notes

Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mauritian Creole

Noun

ku

alternative spelling of kou

Middle English

Noun

ku

alternative form of cou

Musi

Alternative forms

aku

Pronoun

ku

I (personal pronoun)
Ku ngenjoq sén dié agaitangi. (Sekayu) ― I gave him/her money yesterday.
me (direct object of a verb)
Naméq nga daq ngendaq ku? (Sekayu) ― Why you didn't invite me?
me (object of a preposition)
me (indirect object of a verb)
my (belonging to me)

Northern Kurdish

Conjunction

ku

that (connecting noun clause, introducing the result of the main clause)
Min bihîst ku ew pir dewlemend e.
I heard that he is very rich.
implied that (where it is grammatically necessary)
Min tutişt tune ku bidim.
I have nothing to give. OR I have nothing that I give.

Pronoun

ku

which, that (of those mentioned or implied)
Dîmenderparêzên ku ekranê diguherînin bi kar bîne.
Use screen savers that manipulate the screen.

Derived terms

da ku, ji ber ku

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old West Norse kýr (accusative singular kú), from Proto-Germanic *kōz.

Noun

ku f or m (definite singular kua or kuen, indefinite plural kyr or kuer, definite plural kyrne or kuene)

a cow

Usage notes

One of the nouns whose feminine form is predominant in formal writing.

Derived terms

References

“ku” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kʉː/

Etymology 1

From Old West Norse kýr (accusative singular kú), from Proto-Germanic *kōz.

Noun

ku f (definite singular kua, indefinite plural kyr, definite plural kyrne)

cow
Det går eit par kyr i beitet og beitar.
There are a couple of cows grazing in the pasture.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

ku

imperative of kua

Old Polish

Alternative forms

k

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *kъ(n). First attested in the first half of the 14th century.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /ku/
IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ku/

Preposition

ku [with dative]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
Synonym: do
used datively, used to indicate the target or recipient of an action; to
until
Synonym: do
for, benefitting
Synonyms: dla, przed
because of
Synonym: dla
in relation to, in terms of
in terms of accompanying circumstances; at
- 1950 [1446], Władysław Kuraszkiewicz, Adam Wolff, editors, Zapiski i roty polskie XV-XVI wieku z ksiąg sądowych ziemi warszawskiej, number 591, Warsaw:
  Jacom ya byl ku temu yednanyu natenczasz, yakom smowil sz Janem
  [Jakom ja był ku temu jednaniu natenczas, jakom smowił z Janem]

Descendants

Polish: ku, k (Middle Polish), pu (Kuyavia, Near Masovian)
Silesian: ku

References

B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “ku”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Papiamentu

Etymology 1

From Portuguese com and Spanish con and Kabuverdianu ku.

Conjunction

ku

Etymology 2

From earlier Papiamentu ki with the same meaning, from Portuguese que and Spanish que and Kabuverdianu ki.

Adverb

ku

Pnar

Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *kuː. Cognate with Khasi kiew and Proto-Khmuic *gaːw (“to climb”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/

Verb

ku

to climb

Polish

Alternative forms

k (Middle Polish)
pu (Kuyavia, Near Masovian)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish ku.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/

(Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈku/

Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -u
Syllabification: ku

Preposition

ku [with dative]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
denotes dative action, used to indicate the target or recipient of an action; to
(literary) for, benefitting
Synonym: dla
used to indicate a resulting feeling or emotion; to
ku mojemu zaskoczeniu ― to my surprise

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), ku is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 23 times in scientific texts, 9 times in news, 12 times in essays, 41 times in fiction, and 13 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 98 times, making it the 639th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.^[1]

References

^ Ida Kurcz (1990) “ku”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 207

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish ku.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -u
Syllabification: ku

Preposition

ku [with dative]

denotes allative movement; to, toward
Synonym: do

Antonym: ôd
used datively, used to indicate the target or recipient of an action; to
Synonym: do

Antonym: ôd

Sumerian

Romanization

ku

romanization of 𒆪 (ku)

Talysh

Etymology

Cognate with Persian (kur).

Adjective

ku

blind

Tat

Etymology

Cognate with Persian (kuh).

Noun

ku

mountain

Ter Sami

Etymology

From Proto-Uralic *ki, the same root from which the Finnish ken is derived.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/

Pronoun

ku

who

Tocharian A

Etymology

From Proto-Tocharian *ku, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (“dog”). Compare Tocharian B ku, Latin canis, Old Irish cú, Old English hund.

Noun

ku m

dog

Tocharian B

Etymology

From Proto-Tocharian *ku, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (“dog”). Compare Tocharian A ku, Latin canis, Old Irish cú, Old English hund.

Noun

ku m

dog

Tsonga

Particle

ku

to
Ku ba ndlopfu hi xibakele. ― To hit an elephant with a fist.

References

"ku" in Xitsonga Dictionary

Unami

Etymology

From Proto-Algonquian *-w (negative particle).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ku]

Adverb

ku

not

Veps

Etymology 1

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

Conjunction

ku

if
when
than (in comparisons)

Synonyms

(than): mi

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *kuu, from Proto-Uralic *kuŋe.

Noun

ku

moon
month

Inflection

Inflection of ku (inflection type 13/ma)
nominative sing.	ku
genitive sing.	kun
partitive sing.	kud
partitive plur.	kuid
	singular	plural
nominative	ku	kud
accusative	kun	kud
genitive	kun	kuiden
partitive	kud	kuid
essive-instructive	kun	kuin
translative	kuks	kuikš

inessive	kus	kuiš
elative	kuspäi	kuišpäi
illative	kuhu	kuihe

adessive	kul	kuil
ablative	kulpäi	kuilpäi
allative	kule	kuile

abessive	kuta	kuita
comitative	kunke	kuidenke
prolative	kudme	kuidme

approximative I	kunno	kuidenno
approximative II	kunnoks	kuidennoks
egressive	kunnopäi	kuidennopäi

terminative I	kuhusai	kuihesai
terminative II	kulesai	kuilesai
terminative III	kussai	—

additive I	kuhupäi	kuihepäi
additive II	kulepäi	kuilepäi

Derived terms

References

Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “если, месяц, когда, раз, чем”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[6], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Votic

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Cognate with Finnish kun and Ingrian ku.

Pronunciation

(Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈku/, [ˈku]
Rhymes: -u
Hyphenation: ku

Conjunction

ku

(relative) when
if
than (in comparisons)
that

Adverb

ku

how (in expressions of wonder)

References

Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “ku”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

Wakhi

Pronoun

ku

who

Xârâcùù

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ku]

Noun

ku

yam

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Proposed to derive from Proto-Yoruboid *kú or Proto-Yoruboid *kpú. Cognates are extensive throughout many different branches of Niger-Congo. Cognate with Igala kwú, Tiv *kpe, Ibibio *kpa, Proto-Jukunoid *kwu-, Ewe *kuku and Awing *kfu (from Proto-Grassfields *kÚ(a)).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kú/

Verb

kú

to die
Ọ̀pọ̀ ló kú nínú ìjàǹbá yẹn ― Many died in that accident

Fóònù mi ti fẹ́ kú nísìnyí, màá pè yín padà o ― My phone's about to die now, I'll call you back

Synonyms

dágbére fáyé (literally “to bid farewell to earth”)
filẹ̀ ṣaṣọ bora (literally “to use the ground as a blanket”)
gbèkuru jẹ lọ́wọ́ ẹbọra
jáde láyé (literally “to leave the world”)
papòdà (literally “to change position”)
rọ̀run (literally “to go to heaven”)
rèwàlẹ̀ àṣà
ṣaláìsí (literally “to cease from existing”)
ta téru nípàá
tẹ́rí gbaṣọ (literally “to bow and accept to cloth”)
wọ káà ilẹ̀ lọ (literally “to enter the hole in the ground”)
wàjà (“to enter the ceiling”)

Derived terms

ikú (“death”)
àìkú (“immortality”)
òkú (“corpse”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kù/

Verb

kù

to remain
Ó ku oṣù mẹ́ta kí n padà lọ ― There're three months left until I go back

Derived terms

yòókù (“remainder, rest, others”)
àfọ́kù (“remains; shards”)
àgékù (“remainder after a cut”)
àjẹkù (“leftovers”)
àkẹ̀kù (“fossil”)
àkékù
àlòkù (“secondhand; leftover waste”)
àmukù (“(cigarette) butt”)
àṣẹ́kù (“ruins”)
ìdínkù (“decrease; decline”)
ìyòókù (“remainder, rest, others”)

[1] Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “ku”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 207

[2] Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “ku”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 206.

[3] Capo, Hounkpati B.C. (1991) A Comparative Phonology of Gbe (Publications in African Languages and Linguistics; 14), Berlin/New York, Garome, Benin: Foris Publications & Labo Gbe (Int), page 214

[4] Ida Kurcz (1990) “ku”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 207

[1]

[2]

[1]

[1]

person	isolated form	affix form
person	isolated form	nominative	objective
first	singular	kuani, kani¹	ku=, k=¹ (before vowels)	en=
	exclusive plural	ciokay, coka¹, ciutari	ci=, c=¹ =as	un=
	inclusive plural	anokay, aoka¹, anutari	a=, =an	i=
second	singular	eani	e=
	plural	eciokay, ecioka¹, eciutari	eci=
	singular (polite)	anokay, aoka¹	a=, =an	i=
	plural (polite)	anokay, aoka¹, anutari	a=, =an	i=
third	singular	sinuma, anihi	∅=
third	plural	okay, oka¹	∅=
indefinite	singular	asinuma	a=, =an	i=
indefinite	plural	anokay, aoka¹, anutari	a=, =an	i=

		absolute		ergative	oblique
		disjunctive	enclitic	ergative	oblique
first person	singular	aku/i aku/yaku	ku		kanaku
	plural inclusive	ikatamu	katamu/tamu	tamu/ta	kekatamu
	plural exclusive	ikami, ike	kami/ke	mi	kekami/keke
second person	singular	ika	ka	mu	keka
second person	plural	ikayu/iko	kayu/ko	yu	kekayu/keko
third person	singular	iya/ya	ya	na	keya/kaya
third person	plural	ila	la	da/ra	karela

		singular	plural
1^st person	standard	saya / ساي aku / اکو, ku- / كوـ (informal/towards God) -ku / ـكو (poetic possessive) hamba / همبا (dated) daku / داکو (poetic)	kami / کامي (exclusive) kita orang / كيت اورڠ (informal exclusive) kita / کيت (inclusive)
1^st person	royal	beta / بيتا
2^nd person	standard	kamu / کامو
	standard	engkau / اڠکاو, kau- / كاوـ (informal/poetic/towards God) kau / كاو (informal) awak / اوق (friendly/older towards younger) anda / اندا (formal) -mu / ـمو (poetic possessive) dikau / ديکاو (poetic)	anda semua / اندا سموا (formal) awak semua / اوق سموا kamu semua / كامو سموا kalian / کالين (archaic) kau orang / كاو اورڠ (informal)
	royal	tuanku / توانكو
3^rd person	standard	dia / دي ia / اي beliau / بلياو (honorific) -nya / ـڽ (possessive)	mereka / مريک dia orang / دي اورڠ (informal)
3^rd person	royal	baginda / بݢيندا	mereka / مريک dia orang / دي اورڠ (informal)

Afar possessive determiners
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
		1st person	2nd person	m	f
personal	singular	yi	ku	kay	tet
personal	plural	ni	sin	ken
reflexive	singular	inní	isí
reflexive	plural	ninní	isinní, sinní

Translingual

Symbol

Afar

Pronunciation

Determiner

See also

References

Ainu

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Pronoun

Usage notes

See also

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Verb

Derived terms

See also

Albanian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Adverb

Particle

Related terms

See also

References

Further reading

Anguthimri

Noun

References

Bambara

Noun

Derived terms

Basque

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

See also

Bura

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Czech

Etymology

Pronunciation

Preposition

Further reading

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Noun

Ewe

Verb

Faroese

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Finnish

Pronunciation

Conjunction

Particle

French

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology 1

Pronoun

Etymology 2

Preposition

Gun

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Verb

References

Ifè

Etymology