Persian Question Words: What, Who, Where, When, Why and How in Farsi

The main Persian question words are چه (che, “what”; spoken چی, chi), کی (ki, “who”), کجا (kojâ, “where”), کی (key, “when”), چرا (cherâ, “why”), چطور (chetor, “how”), چند (chand, “how many”), چقدر (cheghadr, “how much”) and کدام (kodâm, “which”). The question word usually stays where the answer would go, and yes/no questions need only rising intonation.

That last point is the good news for English speakers. Persian has no “do” or “does” to add, no inversion of subject and verb, and the same handful of words covers almost every question you will ask. Below you will find every question word with its formal and spoken form, how word order works, how to ask yes/no questions with آیا (âyâ) or just your voice, the little tags نه؟ (na?) and مگه (mage), and plenty of practice.

Persian question words at a glance

Here is the full set. The left column is the standard written form; where spoken Persian uses a different form, it is given in the “When to use” column.

Listen to the core words: چی Listen کجا Listen چرا Listen چطور Listen چقدر کدوم Listen

Notice the pattern. Most question words start with چ (ch) or ک (k), and several are built from چه: چرا is literally “for what,” چطور is “what manner,” and چقدر is “what amount.” Once you know چه, the others are easy to remember. For a shorter classroom-style lesson with exercises, see Persian Grammar Lesson 32: question words.

Word order: the question word stays where the answer goes

In English we move the question word to the front: “Ali went to Tehran yesterday” becomes “Where did Ali go yesterday?” Persian usually does not. The basic Persian sentence is subject, then time and place, then the verb at the end, and the question word simply takes the slot of the information you are asking about.

Two practical rules come out of this:

• The verb stays at the end. You never need a helper like “did.” رفت (raft) means both “went” and “did … go.”
• The question word sits close to the verb. کجا, کی (key) and چی normally come right before the verb or the object. چرا is freer: چرا علی به تهران رفت؟ (cherâ Ali be Tehrân raft?) is just as natural.

When the subject is a pronoun, Persian often drops it, so the question word ends up first anyway: کجا زندگی می‌کنی؟ (kojâ zendegi mikoni?, “Where do you live?”) Listen. That is why short Persian questions can look like English ones even though the rule is different.

Each question word with examples

What: چه and چی (che, chi)

چه (che) is the written form; in conversation almost everyone says چی (chi). Use چی when you speak and you will sound natural.

این چیه؟ Listen به فارسی چی می‌گن؟ Listen

Two notes. First, چیست (chist) and چیه (chiye) are چی plus a short form of “is”; the same thing happens with کیست (kist, “who is”) and کجاست (kojâst, “where is”). Lesson 8 on ast after vowels explains why. Second, چه before an adjective is not a question but an exclamation: چه خوب (che khub) means “how nice.”

Who: کی (ki) and چه کسی (che kasi)

In everyday Persian “who” is کی (ki). In formal writing you will also see چه کسی (che kasi, literally “what person”).

• او کیست؟ (u kist?) Who is he/she? (written)
• اون کیه؟ (un kiye?) Who is that? (spoken) Listen
• چه کسی این را نوشت؟ (che kasi in râ nevesht?) Who wrote this? (formal)
• این کتاب مال کیه؟ (in ketâb mâl-e kiye?) Whose book is this? (spoken)

Persian has no separate word for “whose.” You say “belonging to whom,” مال کی (mâl-e ki), or attach کی with the ezâfe: کتاب کی؟ (ketâb-e ki?, “whose book?”).

When: کی (key) and چه وقت (che vaght)

“When” is written with exactly the same letters as “who,” کی, but it is pronounced key (rhymes with English “day”), not ki. Formal alternatives are چه وقت (che vaght) and چه زمانی (che zamâni).

• کی می‌آیی؟ (key miâyi?) When are you coming? (written) Spoken: کی میای؟ (key miây?) Listen
• کلاس کی شروع می‌شه؟ (kelâs key shoru’ mishe?) When does the class start? (spoken)
• تا کی؟ (tâ key?) Until when? از کی؟ (az key?) Since when?

For a clock time, ask with ساعت چند (sâ’at chand, “at what hour”): ساعت چند شروع می‌شه؟ (sâ’at chand shoru’ mishe?, “What time does it start?”). The answers are in our guide to telling time in Persian.

Telling ki (who) from key (when)

Because both are spelled کی, a written sentence like کی اومد؟ can mean “Who came?” (ki umad?) or “When did he come?” (key umad?). In speech there is no confusion: you hear ki or key. In reading, use the context and word order:

• If the question word replaces the subject (it comes first and nobody else is doing the action), it is usually ki, “who.”
• If there is already a subject, like علی کی رفت؟ (Ali key raft?, “When did Ali go?”), it is usually key, “when.”
• Formal texts often avoid the problem by writing چه کسی for “who” and چه وقت for “when.”

Where: کجا (kojâ)

کجا (kojâ) is the same in writing and speech. With “is” it becomes کجاست (kojâst, “where is”).

• دستشویی کجاست؟ (dastshuyi kojâst?) Where is the restroom? Listen
• اهل کجایی؟ (ahl-e kojâyi?) Where are you from? (spoken, informal) Listen
• کجا کار می‌کنید؟ (kojâ kâr mikonid?) Where do you work? (polite)
• از کجا؟ (az kojâ?) From where? تا کجا؟ (tâ kojâ?) How far? Up to where?

Written Persian says به کجا می‌روی؟ (be kojâ miravi?, “Where are you going?”), but spoken Persian drops the به: کجا می‌ری؟ (kojâ miri?). For asking the way in a real conversation, try Persian Conversation 41: asking for directions.

Why: چرا (cherâ)

• چرا نیامدی؟ (cherâ nayâmadi?) Why didn’t you come? (written) Spoken: چرا نیومدی؟ (cherâ nayumadi?) Listen
• چرا نه؟ (cherâ na?) Why not?
• واسه چی؟ (vâse chi?) What for? Why? (spoken; written برای چه, barâ-ye che)

Watch out: چرا also means “yes” when you answer a negative question. If someone asks نمی‌آیی؟ (nemiâyi?, “Aren’t you coming?”) and you are coming, you say چرا، می‌آیم (cherâ, miâyam), “Yes, I am.” It works like French “si” or German “doch.”

How: چطور (chetor), چگونه (chegune), چه جوری (che juri)

چطور (chetor) is the everyday “how.” In speech you will also hear چطوری (chetori) and چه جوری (che juri). چگونه (chegune) belongs to writing: news, textbooks, instructions.

• حالت چطوره؟ (hâlet chetore?) How are you? (spoken; more in How are you in Persian)
• این کلمه رو چطوری می‌نویسن؟ (in kalame ro chetori minevisan?) How do you write this word? (spoken)
• چگونه فارسی یاد بگیریم؟ (chegune fârsi yâd begirim?) How to learn Persian (a typical written headline)
• چطور مگه؟ (chetor mage?) Why do you ask? (spoken) Listen

That last one is worth knowing: چطور؟ on its own often means “How come?” or “Why do you ask?” rather than “how.”

How many: چند (chand)

چند (chand) asks for a number, and the noun after it stays singular, just as after any number in Persian. In speech people usually add the counter تا (tâ).

• چند سال داری؟ (chand sâl dâri?) How old are you? (literally “How many years do you have?”) Listen
• چند تا بچه دارید؟ (chand tâ bachche dârid?) How many children do you have?
• امروز چندمه؟ (emruz chandome?) What’s the date today? (spoken; چندم, chandom, is “which number” in order)

Need the numbers for the answers? See Persian numbers 1 to 1,000.

How much: چقدر (cheghadr)

چقدر (cheghadr) asks about an amount you do not count one by one, like money, time or distance.

• قیمتش چقدره؟ (gheymatesh cheghadre?) How much does it cost? (spoken)
• این چنده؟ (in chande?) How much is this? (spoken, the quickest way to ask a price in a shop) Listen
• چقدر طول می‌کشه؟ (cheghadr tul mikeshe?) How long does it take? (spoken)

Like چه, چقدر before an adjective makes an exclamation, not a question: چقدر قشنگه (cheghadr ghashange), “How beautiful it is.”

Which: کدام (kodâm), spoken کدوم (kodum)

کدام goes directly before the noun, with no ezâfe. In speech it is کدوم (kodum).

• کدام کتاب را می‌خواهید؟ (kodâm ketâb râ mikhâhid?) Which book do you want? (written)
• کدوم یکی؟ (kodum yeki?) Which one? (spoken) Listen
• کدومش؟ (kodumesh?) Which one of them? (spoken)

Yes/no questions: intonation and آیا (âyâ)

To turn a statement into a yes/no question in spoken Persian, you change nothing but your voice. Say the sentence and let your pitch rise on the last word.

• فارسی صحبت می‌کنی. (fârsi sohbat mikoni.) You speak Persian.
• فارسی صحبت می‌کنی؟ (fârsi sohbat mikoni?) Do you speak Persian? (rising pitch at the end) Listen

In writing and formal speech, a yes/no question can begin with آیا (âyâ). It has no English translation; it just announces “a yes/no question is coming.”

• آیا شما فارسی صحبت می‌کنید؟ (âyâ shomâ fârsi sohbat mikonid?) Do you speak Persian? (formal) Listen

Three rules for آیا: it goes at the very start of the sentence; it is only for yes/no questions, so never combine it with کجا, چرا or any other question word; and in everyday conversation it is almost always left out. Using it with friends sounds like reading from a form. Grammar Lesson 9: questions with âyâ has more examples.

Question tags and surprise questions: نه؟ and مگه

English has “isn’t it?”, “don’t you?”, “right?” Spoken Persian uses one easy tag for all of them: نه؟ (na?, literally “no?”).

• خوبه، نه؟ (khube, na?) It’s good, isn’t it?
• فردا میای، نه؟ (fardâ miây, na?) You’re coming tomorrow, right? Listen
• مگه نه؟ (mage na?) Isn’t that so? (a stronger tag)

مگه (mage; written مگر, magar) at the start of a question adds surprise or mild disbelief, like “Really …?” or “Don’t you …?”

• مگه نمی‌دونی؟ (mage nemiduni?) Don’t you know? (surprised that you don’t)
• مگه تعطیله؟ (mage ta’tile?) Is it closed, then? (I thought it was open)

Spoken vs written question forms

Textbooks teach the written forms; Iranians speak the spoken ones. You need both: the first to read, the second to understand people and sound natural. Our longer guide to spoken vs written Persian covers the general patterns behind these changes.

Question words with prepositions

Prepositions go in front of the question word, never at the end of the sentence as in “Who are you talking to?”

Practice this pattern in Grammar Lesson 39: prepositions with question words.

Common mistakes with Persian questions

• Moving the question word to the front out of habit. علی کجا رفت؟ is the natural order; putting کجا first is understood but sounds translated.
• Adding a word for “do.” There is none. The verb at the end carries the tense.
• Using آیا in conversation. It is correct but stiff. Let your intonation do the work.
• Combining آیا with a question word. آیا is only for yes/no questions.
• A plural noun after چند. Say چند کتاب (chand ketâb), not چند کتاب‌ها.
• Mixing up ki and key. Same spelling, different words: ki is “who,” key is “when.”

Want more practice? Try the Persian grammar quiz, and look up any word from the examples in the online Persian dictionary. If you would like question words, word order and the other beginner grammar points laid out step by step with exercises, Farsi Grammar in Use: For Beginners covers them.

Common questions

What are the question words in Persian?

The main ones are چه/چی (che/chi, what), کی (ki, who), کی (key, when), کجا (kojâ, where), چرا (cherâ, why), چطور (chetor, how), چند (chand, how many), چقدر (cheghadr, how much) and کدام (kodâm, which). آیا (âyâ) marks a formal yes/no question.

How do you say “what” in Persian?

“What” is چه (che) in writing and چی (chi) in everyday speech. “What is this?” is این چیه؟ (in chiye?) in conversation and این چیست؟ (in chist?) in writing.

What is the difference between ki and key in Persian?

Both are spelled کی. Ki means “who” and key means “when.” In speech you hear the difference; in writing, context tells you, and formal texts often use چه کسی (who) and چه وقت (when) instead.

How do you ask a yes/no question in Persian?

In conversation, say the statement with rising intonation at the end: قهوه دوست داری؟ (ghahve dust dâri?, “Do you like coffee?”). In writing, you can start the sentence with آیا (âyâ).

Where does the question word go in a Persian sentence?

Usually in the same place the answer would go, often right before the verb: علی کجا رفت؟ (Ali kojâ raft?, “Where did Ali go?”). The verb stays at the end, and there is no helper word like “do.”

How do you say “how much” in Persian?

Use چقدر (cheghadr): قیمتش چقدره؟ (gheymatesh cheghadre?, “How much is it?”). In a shop the shortest way is این چنده؟ (in chande?). For countable things, “how many” is چند (chand) with a singular noun.

Related guides: Persian pronouns · To be in Persian

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