ku

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ku"

Translingual

Symbol

ku

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

Afar

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/

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)‎, Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Ainu

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 *kʷu (“where”). Cognate to Proto-Baltic *kur (“where”) (Lithuanian kur̃ (“id”), kur (“id”), Latvian kur), Proto-Slavic *kъde (“where”) (Old Church Slavonic къде (kŭde, “id”), Russian где (gde)) and Sanskrit कुह (kúha, “where”) (cf. also Sanskrit कू (kū́, “id”), 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

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

References

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

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

bananku
kukara
masaku

Basque

Pronunciation

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

Noun

ku inan

The name of the Latin-script letter 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

From Proto-Slavic *kъ(n).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈku]
ku (file)

Preposition

ku

(informal) to (in the direction of, and arriving at)

Synonyms

k
ke

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.

Declension

Declension of ku
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

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.

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

Etymology

Cognates include Fon kú, Yoruba kú, Xwela Gbe nku, Aja kú, Saxwe Gbe kú

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kú/

Verb

kú

to die

Indonesian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ku/

Pronoun

ku

(text messaging, informal) Alternative spelling of -ku.

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, 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, Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, transl., Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa), 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

Rōmaji transcription of く
Rōmaji transcription of ク

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 (2016-12-31), “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎, volume 35, DOI:10.14989/219015, ISSN 1349-7804, pages 91–128

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese com.

Preposition

ku

with

Kamassian

Noun

ku

ear

References

https://www.infuse.finnougristik.uni-muenchen.de/e-learning/kamas/o1_kamas.pdf

Karelian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ku, from Proto-Uralic *ku. Cognates include Finnish kun and Estonian kus (“where?”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈku/

Determiner

ku

which?

Pronoun

ku

which, that

Declension

Declension of ku

	singular	plural
nominative	ku	kut
genitive	kun	kun
partitive	kuta	kuta
inessive	kussa	kussa
elative	kusta	kusta
illative	kuh	kuh
adessive	kulla	kulla
ablative	kulta	kulta
essive	kuna	kuna
translative	kuksi	kuksi
abessive	kutta	kutta

Synonyms

(relative pronoun): mi, kumpani

References

P. M. Zaykov (1999) Грамматика Карельского языка (фонетика и морфология) [Grammar of the Karelian language (phonetics and morphology)], →ISBN, page 60

Latin

Alternative forms

cū

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /kuː/, [kuː]

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

Noun

kū f (indeclinable)

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)

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

English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Mauritian Creole

Noun

ku

Alternative spelling of kou

Middle English

Noun

ku

Alternative form of cou

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 Norse kýr (accusative singular kú), from Proto-Germanic *kūz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”).

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

kugalskap
kumelk
melkeku, mjølkeku

References

“ku” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kʉː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse kýr (accusative singular kú), from Proto-Germanic *kūz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”). Akin to English cow.

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

kugalskap
mjølkeku

Verb

ku

imperative of kua

Papiamentu

Etymology 1

From Portuguese com and Spanish con and Kabuverdianu ku.

Conjunction

ku

with
plus
and

Etymology 2

From Portuguese que and Spanish que and Kabuverdianu ki.

Adverb

ku

than
that
which

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

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish k, from Proto-Slavic *kъ(n), from Proto-Indo-European *kom.

Pronunciation

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

Preposition

ku (+ dative)

towards, to

Sumerian

Romanization

ku

Romanization of 𒆪 (ku)

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

eloku
heinku
keväz'ku
kezaku
kulehtez
kül'mku
reduku
semendku
sulaku
sügüz'ku
tal'vku
uhoku
uz'ku
viluku

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], 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

(Luuditsa, 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

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

Wakhi

Pronoun

ku

who

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
papòdà (literally “to change position”)
rèwàlẹ̀ àṣà
rọ̀run (literally “to go to”)
ṣaláìsí (literally “to cease from existing”)
ta téru nípàá
tẹ́rí gbaṣọ (literally “to bow and accept to cloth”)
wàjà (“to enter the ceiling”)
wọ káà ilẹ̀ lọ (literally “to enter the hole in the ground”)

Derived terms

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

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

àfọ́kù (“remains; shards”)
àgékù
àjẹkù (“leftovers”)
àkékù
àkẹ̀kù (“fossil”)
àlòkù (“secondhand; leftover waste”)
àmukù (“(cigarette) butt”)
àṣẹ́kù (“ruins”)
ìdínkù (“decrease; decline”)

Yurok

Noun

ku

dove

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

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

ku

Translingual

Symbol

Afar

Pronunciation

Determiner

See also

References

Ainu

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

Synonyms

Further reading

Ewe

Verb

Faroese

Etymology

Noun

Declension

French

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology 1

Pronoun

Etymology 2

Preposition

Gun

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

Indonesian

Pronunciation

Pronoun

Further reading

Ingrian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Conjunction

Derived terms

References

Japanese

Romanization

Javanese

Etymology 1

Pronoun

Etymology 2

Determiner