A PIE interrogative-indefinite paradigm built from the stems *kʷi- and *kʷe- (parallel to anaphoric *i-, *e- ), the former on nominative and accusative cases of all genders, the latter elsewhere, with no distinction of feminine forms, mostly "human" – "non-human". A stem *kʷo- , an o -stem adjective, with its corresponding feminine *kʷeh₂- , was originally separate, but in most languages there was some conflation with the other two, as it is from this function that the relative pronoun evolves. Ultimately from *kʷ- .
*kʷís
who , what (interrogative)
who , which , that (relative)
Andrew Sihler's reconstruction[ 1]
Singular
Plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
masculine
feminine
neuter
nominative
*kʷís
*kʷís
*kʷíd
*kʷéyes
*kʷéyes
*kʷíh₂
accusative
*kʷím
*kʷím
*kʷíd
*kʷíms
*kʷíms
*kʷíh₂
genitive
*kʷésyo
*kʷésyo
*kʷésyo
*kʷéysom
*kʷéysom
*kʷéysom
dative
*kʷésmey
*kʷésmey
*kʷésmey
*kʷeybʰ-
*kʷeybʰ-
*kʷeybʰ-
locative
*kʷésmi
*kʷésmi
*kʷésmi
*kʷeysu
*kʷeysu
*kʷeysu
Robert Beekes's reconstruction
Singular
Plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
masculine
feminine
neuter
nominative
*kʷé
*kʷé
*kʷíd
*kʷéy
*kʷéy
*kʷíh₂
accusative
*kʷím
*kʷím
*kʷíd
*?
*?
*kʷíh₂
genitive
*kʷéso
*kʷéso
*kʷéso
*?
*?
*?
ablative
*kʷéd?
*kʷéd?
*kʷéd?
*?
*?
*?
dative
*kʷésmey
*kʷésmey
*kʷésmey
*?
*?
*?
locative
*kʷésmi
*kʷésmi
*kʷésmi
*?
*?
*?
instrumental
*kʷéy
*kʷéy
*kʷéy
*?
*?
*?
Michiel de Vaan 's reconstruction[ 2]
Singular
Plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
masculine
feminine
neuter
nominative
*kʷe / *kʷís
*kʷe / *kʷís
*kʷíd
*kʷéyes
*kʷéyes
*kʷíh₂
accusative
*kʷím
*kʷím
*kʷíd
*kʷíns
*kʷíns
*kʷíh₂
genitive
*kʷéso
*kʷéso
*kʷéso
*?
*?
*?
dative
*kʷésm-
*kʷésm-
*kʷésm-
*?
*?
*?
locative
*kʷésm-
*kʷésm-
*kʷésm-
*?
*?
*?
instrumental
*kʷih₁
*kʷih₁
*kʷih₁
*?
*?
*?
*kʷós
which , what
Andrew Sihler's reconstruction
Singular
Plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
masculine
feminine
neuter
nominative
*kʷós
*kʷéh₂
*kʷód
*kʷóy
*kʷeh₂(e)s
*kʷeh₂
accusative
*kʷóm
*kʷéh₂m
*kʷód
*kʷóms
*kʷeh₂ms
*kʷeh₂
genitive
*kʷósyo
*?
*kʷósyo
*?
*?
*?
dative
*kʷósmey
*?
*kʷósmey
*?
*?
*?
Robert Beekes's reconstruction
Singular
Plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
masculine
feminine
neuter
nominative
*kʷó
*kʷéh₂
*kʷód
*kʷóy
*kʷéh₂es?
*kʷh₂?
accusative
*kʷóm
*?
*kʷíd
*?
*?
*kʷíh₂
genitive
*kʷóso
*?
*kʷóso
*?
*?
*?
ablative
*kʷósmōd?
*?
*kʷósmōd?
*?
*?
*?
dative
*kʷósmōy
*?
*kʷósmōy
*?
*?
*?
locative
*kʷósmi
*?
*kʷósmi
*?
*?
*?
instrumental
*kʷóy
*?
*kʷóy
*?
*?
*?
*kʷi-h₂
Proto-Albanian:
> ? Albanian: sa ( “ how much ” )
Proto-Hellenic:
Ancient Greek: σᾰ́ ( sá , “ what? ” )
Proto-Italic: *kʷiā
Latin: quia ( “ because ” ) (see there for further descendants )
*kʷo-tero-
*kʷo-s-yo-
*kʷo-ti
Proto-Italic: *kʷot
Sanskrit: कति ( kati )
*kʷo-ty-o
*kʷo-m
Proto-Germanic: *hwan ( “ at what time, when ” ) (see there for further descendants )
*kʷo-bʰí
*kʷós-tos
*kʷeh₂-kʷo-s
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *kāˀkas
Lithuanian: kóks
Proto-Slavic: *kakъ (see there for further descendants )
Proto-Celtic: *kʷākʷos (see there for further descendants )
The following lists the descendants of both *kʷís and *kʷós , as they were usually confused and merged together to various degrees.
Category Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷís- not found
Proto-Anatolian: *kʷís , *kʷo- (see there for further descendants )
Armenian:
Old Armenian: ի- ( i- ) , հի- ( hi- ) , ո ( o ) , ով ( ov ) , որ ( or ) , քան ( kʻan )
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *kas , *ki (see there for further descendants )
Proto-Celtic: *kʷei (from *kʷís ), *kʷid (from *kʷíd ) (see there for further descendants )
Proto-Germanic: *hwaz (see there for further descendants )
Hellenic:
Ancient Greek: τίς ( tís ) - τις ( tis ) , ποῦ ( poû ) - πού ( poú ) (< *kʷosyo), ποῖ ( poî ) - ποι ( poi ) , πῇ ( pêi ) - πῃ ( pēi ) , πῶς ( pôs ) - πως ( pōs ) , πότε ( póte ) - ποτέ ( poté ) , πόθεν ( póthen ) , ὅστις ( hóstis ) , ἄσσα ( ássa ) , ἕκαστος ( hékastos ) , ποδαπός ( podapós ) , πηλίκος ( pēlíkos ) , πηνίκα ( pēníka ) , πῆμος ( pêmos )
Proto-Indo-Iranian: *kíš , *kás , *kím
Proto-Indo-Aryan: *kíṣ , *kás , *kím
Sanskrit: किम् ( kím , “ what? ” ) , कः ( káḥ ) , किस् ( kís , “ who/whether? ” )
Hindi: किस ( kis , oblique ) , को ( ko ) ( dialectal )
Proto-Iranian: *číš , *káh , *čím
Avestan: 𐬐𐬋 ( kō ) , 𐬗𐬌𐬱 ( ciš )
Northern Kurdish: kî ( “ who ” ) , kê ( “ whom ” ) , çi ( “ what ” ) , kû ( “ where ” ) , ku ( “ what ” ) ( dialectal Hekari ) , kîjan ( “ which ” )
Persian: که ( ke ) , چه ( če ) , چی ( či )
Pashto: څه ( tse )
Sogdian: [script needed] ( čw )
Khwarezmian: [script needed] ( ci )
Ossetian: цы ( cy )
Khotanese: 𐨕𐨂 ( cu )
Proto-Italic: *kʷis , *kʷoi (see there for further descendants )
Latin: quis , quī , quia , cum , quam , cūr , ubī , cūius (< *kʷosyo), quoque , quālis , ut , unde
Phrygian: κιν ( kin )
Proto-Tocharian: *kuse (from *kʷisó < *kʷís )
From instrumental singular *kʷéy :
Proto-Albanian: *tśei ?
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *kei
Proto-Slavic: *či (see there for further descendants )
Proto-Germanic: *hwī (see there for further descendants )
Proto-Italic: *kʷei
Latin: quei > quī (see there for further descendants )
From instrumental singular *kʷóy :
Proto-Albanian: *kai
Proto-Italic: *kʷoi (see there for further descendants )
^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995 ) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin , Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008 ) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN , page 510
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008 ) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)[1] , Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN