Kiom asks or relates a quantity: “how much,” “how many,” or, with a measurable expression, “how long/often/far.” It combines questioned or relative ki- with quantity ending -om. The same one word works for countable number and uncountable amount; the surrounding construction shows which is intended.
The quantity cell in the table
Esperanto’s table words combine five initial elements with nine final elements. Kiom is therefore predictable rather than irregular:
| Element | Contribution | Contrast |
|---|---|---|
| ki- | question, relative connection, or exclamation | ti- that, i- some, ĉi- all, neni- none |
| -om | quantity or emphatic degree | -el manner/degree, -u individual, -a kind |
The row continues as tiom “that much/many,” iom “some/a certain amount,” ĉiom “the whole amount,” and neniom “none/no amount.” The form is fixed: -om is a table-word ending, not a noun or adjective ending.
Kiom kostas la tagbileto?
How much does the day ticket cost?
Mi ne scias, kiom ili jam pagis.
I do not know how much they have already paid.
The first kiom opens a direct question. The second introduces an indirect question inside a statement. No extra ĉu is used, because kiom itself identifies the missing information.
Kiom da with a following noun
When you name what is being counted or measured, use kiom da + noun. The noun is normally plural for countable items and singular for a substance or mass concept.
Kiom da gastoj venos al la vespermanĝo?
How many guests will come to dinner?
Kiom da akvo ni bezonas por la supo?
How much water do we need for the soup?
— Kiom da biletoj vi aĉetis? — Kvar, por la tuta familio.
— How many tickets did you buy? — Four, for the whole family.
The da phrase names the measured material or set. It does not itself take accusative -n: say Kiom da biletoj vi aĉetis?, not kiom da biletojn. The entire quantity expression functions as the object, while da biletoj remains an internal prepositional phrase.
When the relevant set is definite or otherwise bounded, de may replace da with a partitive meaning: kiom de la kuko “how much of the cake,” kiom el ili “how many of them.” This is not free variation. Da introduces the kind of thing measured; de or el selects a portion from an already identified whole.
Kiom de la raporto vi sukcesis legi?
How much of the report did you manage to read?
Kiom el tiuj kandidatoj parolas Esperanton?
How many of those candidates speak Esperanto?
Standalone quantity and measurement
Kiom can stand without a following noun when the context supplies the measured thing. It also combines with adjectives and adverbs to ask for a measurement or frequency.
— Ĉu vi volas kafon? — Jes, sed kiom restas?
— Do you want coffee? — Yes, but how much is left?
Kiom longe daŭros la kunveno?
How long will the meeting last?
Kiom ofte vi kontrolas vian retpoŝton dum ferioj?
How often do you check your email during holidays?
Kiom alta estas la plej supra breto?
How high is the top shelf?
In kiom longe, kiom ofte, and kiom alta, kiom asks for the measurable extent of the property. The answer may be du horojn, dufoje semajne, or unu metron kaj okdek centimetrojn. The case marking in the answer follows its own measurement rules; it does not alter kiom.
Relative kiom and the tiom … kiom pair
Relative kiom supplies a quantity rather than asking a direct question. It often correlates with tiom in the main clause.
Prenu tiom da pano, kiom vi povas manĝi.
Take as much bread as you can eat.
Mi pagos tiom, kiom ni interkonsentis.
I will pay as much as we agreed.
Ŝi prenis nur kiom ŝi bezonis kaj lasis la reston por ni.
She took only as much as she needed and left the rest for us.
The first two examples make the correlation visible: tiom points to an amount, and kiom defines its limit. In established usage the corresponding tiom can sometimes be omitted, as in the third example, when the quantity role is clear. For learners, keeping tiom … kiom is often the clearest starting point.
Quantity versus degree
The central contrast is kiom for quantity and kiel for manner or ordinary degree:
Kiom da supo restas? — Du porcioj.
How much soup is left? — Two portions.
Kiel bongusta estas la supo? — Tre bongusta.
How tasty is the soup? — Very tasty.
Kiom can nevertheless express strongly emphasized degree, especially in exclamations or concessive expressions. This is standard and attested, but it is semantically marked rather than the neutral default.
Kiom mi ĝojas, ke vi povis veni!
How glad I am that you were able to come!
Kiom ajn malfacila estos la vojo, ni ne rezignos.
However difficult the road may be, we will not give up.
PMEG recommends using degree kiom sparingly so that its emphatic force remains audible and the ordinary degree/quantity distinction stays clear. In a neutral question about degree, prefer kiel; in a question about measurable amount or number, choose kiom.
Kiom versus kiu and kia
These words question different dimensions even when English uses similar phrasing:
| Form | Question | Expected answer |
|---|---|---|
| Kiom da libroj? | What number? | Ses. |
| Kiuj libroj? | Which individual books? | La ses sur la tablo. |
| Kiaj libroj? | What kind? | Historiaj romanoj. |
Kiom da dosieroj mankas, kaj kiuj estas ili?
How many files are missing, and which ones are they?
The sentence can ask both questions because number and identity are distinct. Selecting the correct table ending makes that difference explicit.
No plural or accusative ending
The foundational rule is categorical: -om table words take neither -j nor -n. Even when kiom is the quantity object of a verb, it stays unchanged.
Kiom vi mendis por la festo?
How much did you order for the party?
The object relation is understood from syntax. Do not create kiomn. Likewise, plurality belongs to the counted noun in kiom da boteloj, not to kiom itself. This behavior is shared by tiom, iom, ĉiom, and neniom.
Norm, accepted variation, and usage
The quantity meaning, da construction, relative use, and ban on -j/-n belong to the established norm. Corpus usage also confirms standalone kiom, measurement phrases such as kiom longe, and tiom … kiom correlations. Omitting a recoverable tiom is accepted, though the full pair is often clearer.
Emphatic degree kiom is also normative and well attested, not an error. The practical recommendation is narrower: preserve it for genuine emphasis, and use kiel for ordinary degree. The quantity comparison page develops larger comparative patterns.
Common Mistakes
Omitting da before a measured noun
❌ Kiom librojn vi kunportis?
Incorrect in the standard quantity construction — kiom takes da before the counted noun, and the noun does not take -n.
✅ Kiom da libroj vi kunportis?
How many books did you bring?
Adding accusative -n to kiom
❌ Kiomn vi volas?
Incorrect — -om table words never take -n.
✅ Kiom vi volas?
How much do you want?
Pluralizing the table word
❌ Kiomj da homoj jam respondis?
Incorrect — plurality is expressed by homoj, not by kiom.
✅ Kiom da homoj jam respondis?
How many people have already replied?
Using da for a portion of a definite whole
❌ Kiom da la kuko restas?
Incorrect — la kuko is an identified whole, so use de for a portion of it.
✅ Kiom de la kuko restas?
How much of the cake remains?
Asking quantity when identity is intended
❌ Kiom da ŝlosiloj estas viaj? — La ruĝa kaj la blua.
Incorrect for the intended question — the answer identifies which keys, not how many.
✅ Kiuj ŝlosiloj estas viaj? — La ruĝa kaj la blua.
Which keys are yours? — The red one and the blue one.
Key Takeaways
- ki- gives question/relative force; -om gives quantity.
- Use kiom da + noun for an unbounded amount or number, but kiom de/el for a portion of a defined set.
- Relative kiom commonly pairs with tiom.
- Degree kiom is accepted but emphatic; neutral degree normally uses kiel.
- Kiom never takes -j or -n.
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Start learning Esperanto →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.
- Correlative Endings and Their MeaningsA1 — Learn the nine fixed correlative endings that select identity, thing, kind, possessor, place, time, reason, manner, and quantity.
- Case and Number on CorrelativesA2 — Learn exactly which correlative families accept plural -j, object -n, or directional -n, and which remain invariant.
- Kiel: The Question/Relative Manner CorrelativeA2 — Use kiel to ask about manner and degree, introduce manner clauses, and make comparisons without confusing it with kia or kiom.
- Quantity ComparisonB2 — Compare amounts and counts with pli da, pli multaj, tiom… kiom…, and numerical thresholds while keeping degree and addition distinct.
- Content Questions with Ki-CorrelativesA1 — Ask for people, things, qualities, places, times, reasons, manners, and quantities with Esperanto's systematic ki-correlatives.