How to say “what” around the world
241 languages · 241 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 什么 | shénme | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | what | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | qué | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | क्या | kyā | Indo-European |
| Arabic | مَا | mā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | কী | ki | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | apa | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | o que | Indo-European | |
| French | quoi | Indo-European | |
| Russian | что | što | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 何 | nani | Japonic |
| Marathi | काय | kāy | Indo-European |
| Swahili | nini | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | ne | Turkic | |
| Telugu | ఏమిటి | ēmiṭi | Dravidian |
| Wu Chinese | 啥 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Korean | 무엇 | mueot | Koreanic |
| German | was | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | gì | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | என்ன | eṉṉa | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 乜嘢 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Urdu | کْیا | kyā | Indo-European |
| Italian | che | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | ايه | ēh | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gujarati | શું | śũ | Indo-European |
| Western Farsi | چِه | če | Indo-European |
| Min Nan Chinese | 啥 | siáⁿ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hakka Chinese | 麼個 | má-ke | Sino-Tibetan |
| Nigerian Pidgin | wetin | Indo-European | |
| Jinyu Chinese | 甚 | seng³ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Levantine Arabic | شُو | šū | Afro-Asiatic |
| Kannada | ಏನು | ēnu | Dravidian |
| Polish | co | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | kí ni | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Xiang Chinese | 么子 | mo³ zr | Sino-Tibetan |
| Malayalam | എന്ത് | entŭ | Dravidian |
| Odia | କଣ | kaṇa | Indo-European |
| Burmese | ဘာ | bha | Sino-Tibetan |
| Sudanese Arabic | شنو | šinu | Afro-Asiatic |
| Moroccan Arabic | شنو | šnu | Afro-Asiatic |
| Igbo | gịnị̄ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Ukrainian | що | ščo | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | nima | Turkic | |
| Sindhi | ڇا | chā | Indo-European |
| Romanian | ce | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | wat | Indo-European | |
| Gan Chinese | 什哩 | siit⁶ 'li⁴ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Thai | อะไร | à-rai | Tai-Kadai |
| Lingala | níni | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | што̏ | Štokavian | Indo-European |
| Khmer | អី | ʼəy | Austroasiatic |
| Somali | maxa | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Turkmen | näme | Turkic | |
| Cebuano | unsa | Austronesian | |
| Nepali | के | ke | Indo-European |
| Assamese | কি | ki | Indo-European |
| Sinhala | මොකක්ද | mokakda | Indo-European |
| Greek | τί | tí | Indo-European |
| Northeastern Thai | อิหยัง | ì-yǎng | Tai-Kadai |
| Kurdish | çi | Indo-European | |
| Hijazi Arabic | إيش | ʔēš | Afro-Asiatic |
| Tajik | чӣ | či | Indo-European |
| Sylheti | ꠇꠤꠔꠣ | kita | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | не | ne | Turkic |
| Hungarian | mi | Uralic | |
| Zulu | ni | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Nyanja | chiyani | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Tunisian Arabic | شْ | š | Afro-Asiatic |
| Southern Pashto | څه | cə | Indo-European |
| Czech | co | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | نېمە | nëme | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | wat | Indo-European | |
| Min Dong Chinese | 什乇 | sié-nó̤h | Sino-Tibetan |
| Swedish | vad | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | nə | Turkic | |
| Iloko | ania | Austronesian | |
| Bulgarian | какво́ | kakvó | Indo-European |
| Hiligaynon | ano | Austronesian | |
| Belarusian | што | što | Indo-European |
| Neapolitan | quale | Indo-European | |
| Central Kurdish | چی | çî | Indo-European |
| Tumbuka | njani | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Kikuyu | atĩa | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Danish | hvad | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | čo | Indo-European | |
| Finnish | mikä | Uralic | |
| Lao | ຫຍັງ | nyang | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | hva | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | ни | ni | Turkic |
| Buginese | aga | Austronesian | |
| Catalan | què | Indo-European | |
| Sicilian | chi | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | эмне | emne | Turkic |
| Swiss German | waas | Indo-European | |
| Southern Thai | พรือ | Tai-Kadai | |
| Armenian | ինչ | inčʻ | Indo-European |
| Balinese | apa | Austronesian | |
| Lithuanian | kas | Indo-European | |
| Lombard | che | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | რა | ra | Kartvelian |
| Acehnese | peuë | Austronesian | |
| Waray | ano | Austronesian | |
| Albanian | çfarë | Indo-European | |
| Mongolian | юу | juu | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Chadian Arabic | شنو | šunu | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bikol | ano | Austronesian | |
| Galician | que | Indo-European | |
| Pampanga | nanu | Austronesian | |
| Slovenian | káj | Indo-European | |
| Esperanto | kio | Artificial Language | |
| Kʼicheʼ | jas | Mayan | |
| Macedonian | што | što | Indo-European |
| Zhuang | caemjdoh | Tai-Kadai | |
| Brahui | anth | Dravidian | |
| Sidamo | ma | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Kabardian | сыт | sət | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Igala | ẹ́ñwu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Limburgan | wat | Indo-European | |
| Makasar | apa | Austronesian | |
| Latvian | kas | Indo-European | |
| Scots | whit | Indo-European | |
| Chechen | хӏун | hun | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | mis | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | ни | niy | Turkic |
| Tibetan | ག་རེ | ga re | Sino-Tibetan |
| Pangasinan | anto | Austronesian | |
| Tausug | unu | Austronesian | |
| Bakhtiari | چی | čē | Indo-European |
| Kachin | hpa | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Kalmyk | ю | yu | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Maranao | ngin | Austronesian | |
| Talysh | çiç | Indo-European | |
| Basque | zer | Isolates | |
| Chuvash | мӗн | mĕn | Turkic |
| Welsh | beth | Indo-European | |
| Krio | wetin | Indo-European | |
| Lezghian | вуч | vuč | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Rusyn | што | što | Indo-European |
| Adyghe | сыд | səd | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Maltese | xiex | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Occitan | qué | Indo-European | |
| Mizo | eng | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Mari | мо | mo | Uralic |
| Tetum | sá | Austronesian | |
| Asturian | qué | Indo-European | |
| Ibanag | anni | Austronesian | |
| Ingush | фу | fu | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Papiamento | ki | Indo-European | |
| Icelandic | hvað | Indo-European | |
| Ngazidja Comorian | hindri | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Friulian | ce | Indo-European | |
| Tuvinian | чүү | çüü | Turkic |
| Ao Naga | kechi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Zeelandic | wat | Indo-European | |
| Māori | aha | Austronesian | |
| Navajo | haʼátʼíísh | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Gagauz | ne | Turkic | |
| Irish | cad | Indo-European | |
| Aromanian | tsi | Indo-European | |
| Kashubian | co | Indo-European | |
| Breton | petra | Indo-European | |
| Mwani | kinani | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Võro | miä | Uralic | |
| Faroese | hvat | Indo-European | |
| Scottish Gaelic | dè | Indo-European | |
| Southern Altai | не | ne | Turkic |
| Sanskrit | किम् | kim | Indo-European |
| Dungan | са | sa | Sino-Tibetan |
| Karelian | mis | Uralic | |
| Hawaiian | aha | Austronesian | |
| Kajtak | ци | ci | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Lamboya | aha | Austronesian | |
| Evenki | экун | əkun | Tungusic |
| Comorian | trini | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Upper Sorbian | što | Indo-European | |
| Yagnobi | чо | čo | Indo-European |
| Lower Sorbian | co | Indo-European | |
| Even | як | jak | Tungusic |
| Jejueo | 무신거 | musin'geo | Koreanic |
| Rapanui | aha | Austronesian | |
| Mrassu Shor-Tutal | ноо | noo | Turkic |
| Moksha | мезе | meze | Uralic |
| Manx | cre | Indo-European | |
| Interlingua | qual | Artificial Language | |
| Nanai | хай | haj | Tungusic |
| Veps | mi | Uralic | |
| Pipil | tay | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Northern Mansi | ма̄ныр | mānyr | Uralic |
| Taos Northern Tiwa | híli | Kiowa-Tanoan | |
| Pela | pɛ̠⁵⁵ | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Narrinyeri | minye | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Ingrian | mikä | Uralic | |
| Chickasaw | nanta | Muskogean | |
| Manchu | ᠶᠠ | ya | Tungusic |
| Chinook Jargon | ikta | Chinookan | |
| Aklanon | ano | Austronesian | |
| Gulf Arabic | إِيش | ʔēš | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gilit Mesopotamian Arabic | شنو | šinu | Afro-Asiatic |
| Najdi Arabic | وش | weš | Afro-Asiatic |
| Kriol | wot | Indo-European | |
| Butuanon | ngan | Austronesian | |
| Central Atlas Tamazight | ⵎⴰⵢ | may | Afro-Asiatic |
| Tedim Chin | bang | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Coptic | ⲁϣ | aš | Afro-Asiatic |
| Dalmatian | co | Indo-European | |
| Dargwa | се | se | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Old Dutch-Old Frankish | wat | Indo-European | |
| Old Frisian | hwet | Indo-European | |
| Yuwaalaraay-Gamilaraay | minya | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Gothic | 𐍈𐌰 | ƕa | Indo-European |
| Ancient Greek | τί | tí | Indo-European |
| Hebrew | מה | ma | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Daw | dab tsi | Hmong-Mien | |
| Hunsrik | was | Indo-European | |
| Old Irish | cid | Indo-European | |
| Isnag | naxan | Austronesian | |
| Javanese | apa | Austronesian | |
| Latin | quid | Indo-European | |
| Livonian | mis | Uralic | |
| Low German | wat | Indo-European | |
| Malay | apa | Austronesian | |
| Khiamniungan Naga | ātéi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Classical Nahuatl | tleh | Uto-Aztecan | |
| San Francisco Bay Ohlone | hinṭo | Miwok-Costanoan | |
| Church Slavic | чьто | čĭto | Indo-European |
| Old Russian | чьто | čĭto | Indo-European |
| Old English | hwæt | Indo-European | |
| Old Saxon | hwat | Indo-European | |
| Oromo | maal | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Iron Ossetian | цы | cy | Indo-European |
| Polabian | cü | Indo-European | |
| Punic | 𐤌 | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਕੀ | kī | Indo-European |
| Sundanese | naon | Austronesian | |
| Tagalog | ano | Austronesian | |
| Muslim Tat | çü | Indo-European | |
| Ugaritic | 𐎎𐎅 | mh | Afro-Asiatic |
| Woiwurrung-Thagungwurrung | ining-jak | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Yiddish | וואָס | vos | Indo-European |
| Irish Anglo-Norman | fade | Indo-European | |
| Dimli | se | Indo-European |