{"id":8880,"date":"2025-07-11T14:42:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T13:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/?p=8880"},"modified":"2025-07-11T14:42:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T13:42:39","slug":"who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/2025\/07\/11\/who\/","title":{"rendered":"Who?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Words for who<\/strong> and related things in Celtic languages.<\/p>\n

\"Who?\"<\/p>\n

Words marked with a * are reconstructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Proto-Celtic<\/th>\n*k\u02b7ei<\/strong> = who<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc)<\/th>\nc\u00eda, ce, ci, cia<\/strong> = who? what? where? how? although, if
\nc\u00eda airet?<\/strong> = how long?
\nc\u00eda airm?<\/strong> = where?
\nc\u00eda chruth?<\/strong> = how?
\nc\u00eda m\u00e9it?<\/strong> = how many? how much?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)<\/th>\nc\u00eda, cia, c\u00e1<\/strong> = who? what? how? where?
\ncia airm?<\/strong> = what place? where?
\ncia eret? cia airet?<\/strong> = how long?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Irish (Gaeilge)<\/th>\nc\u00e9?<\/strong> [ke\u02d0] = who? whom?
\nc\u00e9n?<\/strong> [ce\u02d0n\u02e0] = what? which?
\nc\u00e9n \u00e1it?<\/strong> = where? at what place?
\nc\u00e9n chaoi?<\/strong> = how? in what whay?
\nc\u00e9n d\u00f3igh?<\/strong> = how? in what way?
\nc\u00e9n f\u00e1th?<\/strong> = why? for what reason?
\nc\u00e9n uair?<\/strong> = when? at what time?
\nc\u00e9r(b)?<\/strong> = who is?
\nc\u00e9r(bh)?<\/strong> = who was?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Scottish Gaelic (G\u00e0idhlig)<\/th>\nc\u00f2<\/strong> [ko\u02d0] = who(m)? where?
\nge be c\u00f2<\/strong> = whoever, whosoever
\ncia?<\/strong> [k\u02b2a] = how? what? which? who?
\ncia mheud?<\/strong> [k\u02b2a\u02c8vi\u0259d] = how many?
\ncia \u00e1s?<\/strong> [k\u02b2a\u02c8as] = whence? where from?
\ncia minig?<\/strong> = how often?
\ncia fhada?<\/strong> [k\u02b2a\u02c8ad\u0259] = how long?
\ncia airson?<\/strong> = why?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manx (Gaelg)<\/th>\nquoi<\/strong> [kw\u0259i] = who? whom? which, whichever, who
\nquoi erbee<\/strong> = who(so)ever, whom(so)ever
\nquoi s’lesh<\/strong> = whose
\nquoi jeu?<\/strong> = which one?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Proto-Brythonic<\/th>\n*pu\u0268<\/strong> = who (?)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Old Welsh (Kembraec)<\/th>\npui<\/strong> = what<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Middle Welsh (Kymraec)<\/th>\npwy, puy<\/strong> = who(m), whose, what, which, how
\npwy … pynac<\/strong> = whichever, whatever<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Welsh (Cymraeg)<\/th>\npwy<\/strong> [pu\u02d0\u0268\u032f \/ p\u028ai\u032f] = who(m), whose, what, which, how
\npwy bynnag<\/strong> = who(so)ever, whichever, what(so)ever
\npwy … bynnag<\/strong> = whichever, whatever
\npwyma, pwyna<\/strong> = what-d’you-call-him\/her<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Middle Cornish (Cernewec)<\/th>\npyw, pu<\/strong> = who, whom, which
\npywpenag, pwy-penag, piwha bennac<\/strong> = whosoever<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cornish (Kernewek)<\/th>\npiw<\/strong> [pi\u02d1\u028a] = who
\npiw penag \/ pynag<\/strong> [pi\u02d1\u028a] = whoever<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Old Breton (Brethonoc)<\/th>\npiu<\/strong> = who<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Middle Breton (Brezonec)<\/th>\npiu<\/strong> = who<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Breton (Brezhoneg)<\/th>\npiv<\/strong> [\u02c8piw] = who
\npiv bennak<\/strong> = whoever
\npiv din-me<\/strong> = thing, thingamajig, whatstheirface (a person whose name is unknown)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Etymology<\/strong>: from Proto-Indo-European *k\u02b7\u00eds<\/em> (who, what, which, that) [source<\/a>]. Words from the same root include how<\/strong>, whether<\/strong> and status quo<\/strong> in English, hoe<\/strong> (how) in Dutch, hver<\/strong> (every, each, everyone) in Danish, qui<\/strong> (who, whom, which, that) in French, chi<\/strong> (who, whom, whoever) in Italian, com<\/strong> (with, against, alongside, together) in Portuguese, and kt\u00f3ry<\/strong> (what, which, that, who) in Polish [source<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Sources: Wiktionary<\/a>, Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic<\/a>, In D\u00fail B\u00e9lrai English – Old Irish glossary<\/a>, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language<\/a>, Teanglann.ie<\/a>, Am Faclair Beag<\/a>, An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language<\/a>, Fockleyreen: Manx – English Dictionary<\/a>, Online Manx Dictionary<\/a>, Gaelg Corpus<\/a>, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru<\/a>, Lexicon cornu-britannicum : a dictionary of the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall<\/a>, Gerlyver Kernewek<\/a>, Devri : Le dictionaire diachronique du breton<\/a>, Geriafurch<\/a>, TermOfis<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n