խի

Armenian

Etymology

From the Old Armenian root հի- (hi-); see it.

Pronunciation

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /χi/, [χi]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /χi/, [χi]

Pronoun

խի • (xi)

1. (colloquial, interrogative) why

   Խի՞ ես ծիծաղում։ ― Xi^? es cicaġum. ― Why are you laughing?

Usage notes

Even though this word is shunned as colloquial, it is of native Armenian origin and not a borrowing.

Synonyms

• ինչու (inčʻu)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “հի”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press