ਕਿਵੇਂ

What does kiven mean in Punjabi?

Kiven (ਕਿਵੇਂ) is the Punjabi word for 'how'. It asks in what way something happened, is done or will happen, and it sits at the heart of the everyday greeting 'Tusi kiven ho?', which means 'How are you?' It is one of the first question words a learner meets, and one of the most used words in daily Punjabi speech.

Where does the word come from?

Kiven belongs to Punjabi's family of 'ki-' question words, the small words that open a question: ki means what, kithe means where, kadon means when, kyon means why, and kiven means how. The shared 'ki-' opening is what marks them as questions, in the same way English marks its question words with 'wh-'. Its Hindi cousin is kaise, which also means how, and the two words sit in the same place in their sentences.

You will also see the word written as kivein, with an extra 'i'. The two spellings say the same word in the same way: kiven is the shorter and more common Roman spelling, while kivein spells out the long 'ee' sound. In Gurmukhi there is only one spelling, ਕਿਵੇਂ, so the difference never appears on the Punjabi page.

How is kiven used?

Most often kiven asks about manner or method. 'Eh kiven hoya?' means 'How did this happen?', and 'Tusi eh kiven kitta?' means 'How did you do this?' The word usually comes early in the sentence, just before the verb or the thing being asked about, and the rest of the sentence stays the same as a plain statement.

Kiven also does the work of a greeting. 'Tusi kiven ho?' is the polite way to ask how someone is, and the short 'Kiddan?' does the same job among friends. A learner who knows only one question word should learn kiven first, because it opens greetings, directions, recipes and stories alike.

Kiven or kiddan: what is the difference?

Kiven and kiddan both mean how, and Punjabi speakers use both every day. Kiddan is the casual, everyday form, the one you throw at a friend when you meet: 'Kiddan?' on its own means 'How are you?' Kiven is the fuller question word, the one you use when you want a real answer about how something happened or how to do something. Use kiddan to say hello, and kiven to ask how.

How do you say 'how are you' in Punjabi?

The polite form is 'Tusi kiven ho?', which you use with elders, strangers and anyone you want to show respect to. With friends and family, 'Tu kiven hain?' or simply 'Kiddan?' will do. The answer is usually 'Main theek haan', which means 'I am fine', and then the question comes back: 'Tusi kiven ho?'