کدام

What it means

کدام (kodâm) is the Persian word for “which” or “which one.” It is a pure Persian interrogative word used to ask a person to identify or choose among a set of known options. When placed before a noun it acts as a determiner: کدام کتاب (kodâm ketâb, which book). When used alone it is a pronoun: کدوم رو می‌خوای (kodoom ro mikhâi, which one do you want). In colloquial spoken Persian the vowel shifts and the word is typically pronounced کدوم (kodoom), though in writing and formal speech کدام (kodâm) is the standard form. It should not be confused with چه (che, what) or چی (chi, what thing), which ask about identity rather than selection from a set. The question word differs from English “which” in one small way: Persian does not require a following noun when the referent is clear from context, so کدوم alone can stand as a complete question meaning “which one?”

How to use it

• کدام کتاب رو می‌خوای؟ (kodâm ketâb ro mikhâi?) “Which book do you want?”
• کدوم رنگ بهتره؟ (kodoom rang behtar-e?) “Which color is better?”
• کدوم از اینا مال توئه؟ (kodoom az inâ mâl-e to-ye?) “Which of these is yours?”
• نمی‌دونم کدوم راه رو انتخاب کنم. (nemidunam kodoom râh ro entekhâb konam.) “I don’t know which path to choose.”

Cultural note

کدام appears in a set of classic Persian riddles and folk sayings where the answer is surprising or philosophical. The phrase کدام آدم عاقلی این کار رو می‌کنه (kodâm âdam-e âgheli in kâr ro mikone, which sensible person would do this) is a rhetorical question used to express disbelief or disapproval, not a genuine request to name someone. Learning to hear the difference between a genuine کدام question and a rhetorical one is a real step in Persian pragmatic fluency. In formal contexts such as legal or bureaucratic documents, کدام appears in full written form, so knowing the standard spelling alongside the colloquial pronunciation matters for reading comprehension.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab