Every Esperanto table word answers two questions at once: what logical force does the speaker want, and what semantic domain is involved? The initial element supplies the force; one of nine fixed final elements supplies identity, thing, kind, possessor, place, time, reason, manner, or quantity. All unmarked uses on this page are neutral in register.
Two choices build one table word
The five initials are ki- for question/relative force, ti- for demonstration, i- for indefiniteness, ĉi- for universality, and neni- for negation. Select one of them, then select one of nine endings:
| Ending | Domain | Useful question | ki- example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -u | individual identity | which person/one? | kiu |
| -o | thing or matter | what? | kio |
| -a | kind or quality | what kind? | kia |
| -es | possessor | whose? | kies |
| -e | place | where? | kie |
| -am | time or occasion | when? | kiam |
| -al | reason or cause | why? | kial |
| -el | manner or degree | how? | kiel |
| -om | quantity or emphatic degree | how much/many? | kiom |
These endings belong to a closed grammatical system. They resemble ordinary Esperanto endings in places, but they are not freely interchangeable suffixes. For example, table-word -u means an individual; ordinary verb -u marks the volitive. See the table-word system for the complete 5×9 grid.
Kiu vokis, kaj kion tiu persono volis?
Who called, and what did that person want?
The difference between kiu and kio lies entirely in the domain: an individual's identity versus an unnamed thing or matter.
-u, -o, and -a: three kinds of “what”
English who, what, and which do not map mechanically onto single Esperanto words. First decide whether you want an individual, a thing, or a kind.
-U selects an individual from a real or imagined set. It can refer to a person or a nonhuman item, and it can stand alone or determine a noun.
Kiun tason vi volas? — Tiun kun la blua tenilo.
Which cup do you want? — The one with the blue handle.
-O packages an unnamed thing, fact, or matter. It does not directly determine a following noun.
Kio falis? — Io metala, sed mi ne vidis ĝin.
What fell? — Something metallic, but I did not see it.
-A asks about or specifies a kind or quality. It behaves like a determiner when followed by a noun.
Kian kafon vi preferas? — Tian sen sukero kaj kun iom da lakto.
What kind of coffee do you prefer? — The kind without sugar and with a little milk.
-es: the possessor
-Es identifies the possessor or associated source. It already contains the relationship normally expressed by de, so kies libro means “whose book,” and ties libro means “that person's book.” The -es word comes before what is possessed.
Kies jako estas sur mia seĝo? — Ĝi estas ies, sed mi ne scias kies.
Whose jacket is on my chair? — It belongs to someone, but I don't know whose.
Do not confuse possessor kies with individual kiu. English writes who's and whose similarly, but Esperanto distinguishes kiu estas from kies unambiguously.
-e and -am: place and time
-E selects location; -am selects time or occasion. This produces compact pairs such as tie/tiam, “there/then,” and nenie/neniam, “nowhere/never.”
Kie ni renkontiĝu, kaj kiam? — Ĉi tie je la oka.
Where shall we meet, and when? — Here at eight.
Mi ĉie serĉis la ŝlosilojn, sed mi neniam kontrolis mian poŝon.
I looked everywhere for the keys, but I never checked my pocket.
The place ending -e can take directional -n: kien “where to,” tien “there/to that place.” That marking is licensed by spatial direction, not by the fact that a verb is transitive.
-al, -el, and -om: reason, manner, and quantity
These three sound similar and often correspond to English expressions containing how or why, so choose by meaning.
-Al selects cause or motive. Kial? — Tial. means “Why? — For that reason.”
Kial vi foriris tiel frue? — Ĉar mi sentis min malsana.
Why did you leave so early? — Because I felt ill.
-El selects manner and, especially with kiel/tiel, degree.
Kiel mi malfermu la dosieron? — Tiel: dufoje alklaku la nomon.
How should I open the file? — Like this: double-click the name.
-Om selects quantity or number. It removes the English split between how much and how many.
Kiom da gastoj venos? — Tiom, kiom povos sidi ĉirkaŭ la granda tablo.
How many guests will come? — As many as can sit around the large table.
Meaning comes from both dimensions
Keeping the ending fixed while changing the initial changes logical force but preserves the domain:
Kie estas mia telefono? — Ĝi devas esti ie en la kuirejo, ĉar ĉi tie ĝi ne estas.
Where is my phone? — It must be somewhere in the kitchen, because it isn't here.
Keeping the initial fixed while changing the ending preserves the force but changes what is being asked:
Kiu venos? Kiam tiu persono alvenos? Kial tiu persono venos?
Who will come? When will that person arrive? Why will that person come?
This is why memorizing 45 unrelated translations is inefficient. Learn five forces and nine domains, then learn the limited lexical nuances of individual cells.
Case and number: a compact preview
The final element also predicts what marking is possible. -U and -a allow -j and -n; -o allows -n but normally not -j; -e allows directional -n but not -j. -es, -am, -al, -el, and -om allow neither. The dedicated case and number page explains the syntax and uncommon exceptions.
Kiujn lokojn vi rekomendas, kaj kien ni iru unue?
Which places do you recommend, and where should we go first?
Here kiujn agrees with an accusative plural noun; kien has directional -n.
Common Mistakes
Using kio before a noun to mean “which”
❌ Kio trajno iras al la flughaveno?
Incorrect — kio does not determine a following noun.
✅ Kiu trajno iras al la flughaveno?
Which train goes to the airport?
Asking for a kind with the individual ending
❌ Kiu vetero estos morgaŭ?
Incorrect for ‘what kind of weather’ — identity is not the intended domain.
✅ Kia vetero estos morgaŭ?
What will the weather be like tomorrow?
Translating “when” as a phrase built from kio
❌ Kio tempo komenciĝas la filmo?
Incorrect — kio cannot determine tempo; select the time cell directly.
✅ Kiam komenciĝas la filmo?
When does the film begin?
Inventing combinations outside the table
❌ Ĉiu-kie oni vendas tiun libron.
Incorrect — universal place already has the fixed form ĉie.
✅ Ĉie oni vendas tiun libron.
They sell that book everywhere.
Confusing manner and quantity
❌ Kiel da akvo vi bezonas?
Incorrect — a measured quantity requires the -om cell.
✅ Kiom da akvo vi bezonas?
How much water do you need?
Key Takeaways
The nine endings encode domains: -u, -o, -a, -es, -e, -am, -al, -el, -om. Combine that domain choice with one of five logical initials. The system is productive for understanding its 45 established words, but closed: do not invent hybrids or treat its pieces as ordinary affixes.
Related Topics
- The Table-Word SystemA1 — Learn Esperanto's 45 table words as a five-by-nine meaning system for questions, demonstrations, indefinites, universals, and negatives.
- Case and Number on CorrelativesA2 — Learn exactly which correlative families accept plural -j, object -n, or directional -n, and which remain invariant.
- Kiu: The Question/Relative Individual CorrelativeA1 — Use kiu to ask or relate which individual, adding -j for plural individuals and -n when its role requires the accusative.
- Kio: The Question/Relative Thing CorrelativeA1 — Use kio to ask about an unspecified thing or idea and to link relative clauses to thing-like or clause-like antecedents.
- Kia: The Question/Relative Kind Or Quality CorrelativeA1 — Use kia to ask what kind or what quality, with adjective-like agreement and precise contrasts with kiu, kio, and kiel.