Direct कौन kaun “who?” becomes किस kis before a postposition. When the question explicitly ranges over multiple people or things, plural किन kin is available: किससे “with/from whom?”, किनसे “with/from which people?”, किसका “whose?”, किनके “whose (plural set)?”
English usually leaves who unchanged. Hindi overtly marks the interrogative's grammatical relationship and sometimes its number. Its direct-form source is explained under कौन and क्या.
Paradigm
| Role | Singular/general | Selected plural |
|---|---|---|
| oblique stem | किस kis | किन kin |
| को | किसे kise / किसको kisko | किन्हें kinheṃ / किनको kinko |
| से | किससे kisse | किनसे kinse |
| में | किसमें kismeṃ | किनमें kinmeṃ |
| ने | किसने kisne | किन्होंने kinhoṃne |
| possessive | किसका/की/के | किनका/की/के |
आप किससे मिलना चाहते हैं?
āp kisse milnā cāhte haiṃ?
Who do you want to meet? (respectful, to a man)
इनमें से किसको चाय चाहिए?
inmeṃ se kisko cāy cāhie?
Which of these people wants tea?
किन छात्रों ने अभी तक फ़ॉर्म नहीं भरा?
kin chātroṃ ne abhī tak form nahīṃ bharā?
Which students have not filled out the form yet?
किस is often number-neutral in conversation
Everyday Hindi frequently uses किस even when the answer could contain several people. किन is most informative with a plural noun or an explicitly selected plural set.
तुमने पार्टी में किससे बात की?
tumne pārṭī meṃ kisse bāt kī?
Who did you talk to at the party? (familiar; one or more people possible)
तुमने उन मेहमानों में से किनसे बात की?
tumne un mehmānoṃ meṃ se kinse bāt kī?
Which of those guests did you talk to? (familiar; plural selection)
The second question presupposes a known set and asks for multiple members. Plural किन is not merely a formal substitute for किस.
Possessive interrogatives
Possessive endings agree with the possessed noun.
यह किसका बैग है?
yah kiskā baig hai?
Whose bag is this?
ये किसकी चाबियाँ हैं?
ye kiskī cābiyā̃ haiṃ?
Whose keys are these?
आप किनके सुझावों पर विचार कर रहे हैं?
āp kinke sujhāvoṃ par vicār kar rahe haiṃ?
Whose suggestions are you considering? (respectful, to a man; plural owners)
बैग selects का, feminine चाबियाँ selects की, and plural/oblique सुझावों selects के.
People and things
Before a noun, किस/किन can mean “which,” not only “whose person.”
आप किस रास्ते से आए?
āp kis rāste se āe?
Which route did you come by? (respectful, to a man)
किन परिस्थितियों में यह नियम लागू नहीं होता?
kin paristhitiyoṃ meṃ yah niyam lāgū nahīṃ hotā?
Under which circumstances does this rule not apply? (formal)
Thus direct क्या “what?” does not simply become किस in every context; किस + noun asks which member/category, while क्या can ask unrestricted content.
Formal and informal minimal pair
तुम किसके साथ जाओगे?
tum kiske sāth jāoge?
Who will you go with? (familiar, to a man)
आप किसके साथ जाएँगे?
āp kiske sāth jāẽge?
Who will you go with? (respectful, to a man)
The interrogative remains unchanged; तुम/जाओगे versus आप/जाएँगे carries honorificity.
A natural dialogue
आपने किन लोगों को बुलाया है? — अपने पड़ोसियों और दो पुराने दोस्तों को।
āpne kin logoṃ ko bulāyā hai? — apne paṛosiyoṃ aur do purāne dostoṃ ko.
Which people have you invited? — My neighbors and two old friends. (respectful)
Common Mistakes
1. Keeping direct कौन
❌ तुम कौनसे बात कर रहे हो?
Incorrect: before से, कौन becomes किस.
✅ तुम किससे बात कर रहे हो?
tum kisse bāt kar rahe ho?
Who are you talking to? (familiar, to a man)
2. Using किस for an explicitly plural noun
❌ किस छात्रों को पुरस्कार मिला?
Incorrect in careful standard Hindi: plural छात्रों takes किन.
✅ किन छात्रों को पुरस्कार मिला?
kin chātroṃ ko puraskār milā?
Which students received an award?
3. Ignoring possessive agreement
❌ यह किसकी बैग है?
Incorrect: masculine बैग requires किसका.
✅ यह किसका बैग है?
yah kiskā baig hai?
Whose bag is this?
4. Treating आप as singular
❌ आप किससे मिला था?
Incorrect: आप requires plural-honorific agreement.
✅ आप किससे मिले थे?
āp kisse mile the?
Who had you met? (respectful, to a man)
Compound postpositions and embedded questions
Compound postpositions use possessive-like किसके/किनके.
आप किसके लिए यह उपहार लाए हैं?
āp kiske lie yah uphār lāe haiṃ?
Who have you brought this gift for? (respectful, to a man)
इन उम्मीदवारों में से किनके पास अनुभव है?
in ummīdvāroṃ meṃ se kinke pās anubhav hai?
Which of these candidates have experience?
The form also remains in its ordinary argument position inside an indirect question.
मुझे नहीं पता कि आपने किससे बात की।
mujhe nahīṃ patā ki āpne kisse bāt kī.
I don't know who you spoke with. (respectful)
English changes word order between direct and indirect questions; Hindi primarily uses कि and keeps किससे where the verb requires it.
Key Takeaways
The contrast also matters in formal data collection. किस प्रतिभागी ने उत्तर दिया? asks which one participant; किन प्रतिभागियों ने उत्तर दिया? asks which participants from a plural pool. In spontaneous speech किस-किस ने is a common alternative that requests a list, while careful prose often favors किन लोगों ने when an explicit plural noun follows.
- कौन becomes किस before postpositions; selected plural uses किन.
- Special forms include किसे/किन्हें and किसने/किन्होंने.
- किसका/की/के agrees with the possessed noun.
- Plural किन is strongest when a known plural set is explicitly being selected.
Now practice Hindi
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Hindi →Related Topics
- Interrogative कौन and क्याB1 — Use कौन for people and क्या for things, content, identity, and yes–no question marking, with appropriate agreement and postpositional forms.
- Pronouns with कोA2 — Use the conventional को-series मुझे, तुझे, तुम्हें, आपको, इसे, उसे, इन्हें, and उन्हें for objects, recipients, and experiencers.
- Pronouns with से and मेंA2 — Form मुझसे, उससे, हममें, उनमें and related fused forms while preserving person, number, deixis, and honorific reference.
- Indefinite कोई and कुछB1 — Use कोई for an unidentified person or countable member and कुछ for an unspecified quantity, content, or degree, including oblique and modifier patterns.
- Indirect questions and embedded word orderC1 — Embed wh- and yes-no questions under verbs such as पूछना, जानना, and पता होना while preserving Hindi clause structure and case marking.