World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English Dictionariespourquoi
Pronunciation / Transliteration: poor-kwah
"Pourquoi es-tu en retard ?"
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
For what cause, reason, or purpose; on account of which.
"Why did you choose to study Chinese linguistics?"
- 1
A question concerning the reason or cause of something.
"Every child eventually asks the endless whys about how the universe works."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from Old English hwȳ, an instrumental case of hwæt (what), meaning 'by what cause' or 'for what reason'. Over the centuries, it shifted from a purely interrogative and relative adverb to function also as a noun denoting the underlying causes or motives.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Why"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Why" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
pourquoi
Transliteration: poor-kwah
"Pourquoi es-tu en retard ?"
warum
Transliteration: vah-rum
"Warum kommst du nicht mit?"
perché
Transliteration: per-kay
"Perché hai fatto questo?"
por qué
Transliteration: por keh
"¿Por qué estudias español?"
por que
Transliteration: por kee
"Por que você não respondeu?"
क्यों
Transliteration: kyuun
"आप यह काम क्यों कर रहे हैं?"
为什么
Transliteration: wèi shén me
"你为什么喜欢学外语？"
왜
Transliteration: wae
"너는 왜 여기에 있니?"
なぜ
Transliteration: naze
"なぜ彼らは来なかったのですか？"
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Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Why"
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