ਕਿਹੜਾ

What does kehda mean in Punjabi?

Kehda (ਕਿਹੜਾ) is the Punjabi word for 'which' or 'which one'. It asks the listener to pick one thing out of a set: 'Kehda munda tuhada bhra hai?' means 'Which boy is your brother?' It changes its ending to match the noun it describes, kehdi for feminine and kehde for plural.

Kehda, kehdi, kehde: one word, four forms

Kehda follows the same rule as most Punjabi adjectives that end in -a: the ending changes to match the noun. Kehda goes with a masculine singular noun, as in 'kehda munda' (which boy); kehdi goes with a feminine singular noun, as in 'kehdi kitab' (which book); and kehde goes with plurals, as in 'kehde din' (which days). The pattern is the same one you see in vadda, vaddi and vadde, the three forms of big.

The oblique forms appear before postpositions: 'kehde munde naal' means 'with which boy', and 'kehdi kitab vich' means 'in which book'. Learners rarely need these at first, but they show up whenever kehda stands before a word like 'naal' or 'vich'.

How is kehda used?

Kehda asks a choice in everyday life: colours, clothes, food and days. 'Tuhanu kehda rang pasand hai?' asks which colour you like; 'Kehdi kitab chahidi hai?' asks which book you want; and 'Kehde din milange?' asks on which day we shall meet. In each case the word stands at the front of the question, and the answer picks one out of the set.

Kehda or ki: what is the difference?

Kehda and ki both ask questions, but they ask different things. Ki asks 'what' in general: 'Ki chahida hai?' means 'What do you want?' Kehda asks 'which one' out of a known set: 'Kehda chahida hai?' means 'Which one do you want?' Use ki when anything will do, and kehda when you must choose.

How do you ask 'which one' in Punjabi?

The short form is 'Kehda wala?', which means 'Which one?' The word 'wala' turns kehda into a pointer at a thing: 'Kehda wala laina hai?' means 'Which one shall I take?' Point at the two things as you ask, and the answer is usually a nod or a word: 'Eh wala' means 'This one.'