kio

Etymology

ki- (“interrogative and relative correlative prefix”) + -o (“correlative suffix of objects”)

Pronunciation

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Pronoun

kio (accusative singular kion)

1. what (the interrogative and relative correlative of objects)
2. which

   Mi daŭrigis mian laboron, ĝis kiam iu knabo aŭ virino diris "bagus, bagus", kio signifas "tre bela".

   I continued my work, until some boy or woman said "bagus, bagus", which means "very pretty".

Usage notes

• Like other correlatives of objects, and unlike English what, kio always functions as a noun, never an adjective.
• The plural forms kioj and kiojn are nonstandard and rare.

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (compare Indonesian tiram, Maori tio).

Noun

kio

1. mollusc
2. oyster

Noun

kio class 5 (plural makio class 6)

1. ear

Adverb

kio

1. how (used as modifier to indicate surprise, delight or other strong feeling)