Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "کِی" in Farsi?

Q: How do you pronounce کِی in Farsi?

کِی is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /kej/. It means “when.” Say it like the English word "may" but starting with a k: "kay," not like the English word "key."

Say it like the English word "may" but starting with a k: "kay," not like the English word "key."

کِی /kej/

key

A one-syllable word, so no stress placement is needed; the key point is the vowel — despite the romanization "key," it does not rhyme with the English word "key," it rhymes with "day" or "may."

Listen: کِی

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Sound it out

کِ k + a short "e" (like the e in "bed") — the kasra mark ِ under the ک is what signals "ke" here instead of "ki."

ی a y-glide that turns the vowel into a diphthong — "ke" + y blends into "key," which actually rhymes with English "day," not English "key."

Hear it in a sentence

کی می‌آیید؟

Key mi'āyid?

When are you coming?

Listen: کی می‌آیید؟

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"کی می‌آیید؟" (Key mi'āyid?) means "When are you coming?" The verb می‌آیید contains a glottal stop between می- and آیید (marked by the apostrophe in mi'āyid), since آمدن ("to come") starts with the vowel-carrying آ.

Where English speakers slip

The single biggest trap is the romanization itself: "key" looks like it should be pronounced like the English word "key" (long ee), but it's actually pronounced like "kay"/"day" (a diphthong ending in y). This is also the exact word most often confused with کی ("who," pronounced ki) since both are spelled کی without diacritics in ordinary writing — only context (and the different vowel sound) tells them apart.