کجا

What it means

کجا (kojâ) means “where” and covers the full range of location questions: کجایی؟ (kojâi?, where are you?), رفتی کجا؟ (rafti kojâ?, where did you go?), کجا گذاشتیش؟ (kojâ gozâshtish?, where did you put it?). Beyond questions, کجا appears in indefinite constructions meaning “somewhere” or “wherever,” for example یه جایی کجایی پیداش کرد (ye jâyi kojâyi pidâsh kard, he found it somewhere). The colloquial form کجایی (kojâi) with a personal suffix also means “where are you from” or more precisely “where are you,” depending on context, so pay attention to what the conversation is about.

How to use it

• کجایی؟ (kojâi?) “Where are you?”
• خونه‌تون کجاست؟ (khune-tun kojâst?) “Where is your home?”
• داری کجا میری؟ (dâri kojâ miri?) “Where are you going?”
• گوشیم رو کجا گذاشتم؟ (gushiam ro kojâ gozâshtam?) “Where did I put my phone?”

Cultural note

کجایی؟ deserves special attention because Iranians use it as a greeting message, especially via text, meaning roughly “where are you / what are you up to?” rather than a literal request for a GPS coordinate. It is an affectionate check-in with close friends and family. In formal contexts, کجا is still neutral and standard: there is no more formal alternative to reach for the way speakers swap دیگر in for دیگه. کجا works across registers unchanged.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab