Qur'an CoreVocabulary

Question Words

The words that open a question in Arabic.

Question words at a glance

Like English, these sit at the very start of the question.

مَنْmanwho?
مَا / مَاذَاmā / mādhāwhat?
أَيْنَaynawhere?
مَتَىٰ / أَيَّانَmatā / ayyānawhen?
كَيْفَ / أَنَّىٰkayfa / annāhow?
لِمَlimawhy?
كَمْkamhow many?
أَىّayywhich?
هَلْhalis / are / do …? (yes-no)

كَيْفَ vs أَنَّىٰ — كَيْفَ asks plainly how or in what state; أَنَّىٰ adds wonder or improbability, and can also mean "from where". مَتَىٰ vs أَيَّانَ — مَتَىٰ is the general "when"; أَيَّانَ is emphatic, reserved for momentous events like the Hour.

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