कैसा (kaisaa)
adjective/adverb
An interrogative/exclamatory word with four senses: asking about condition or state ('how'), asking about type or quality ('what kind of'), an exclamatory use ('what a...!'), and a separate invariant adverb form meaning 'how, by what means' (asking about manner of an action). Inflects as कैसा/कैसी/कैसे (kaise) for the adjective senses; see Notes on the adverb sense for why it does not inflect there.
Sense
1
:
condition or state -- 'how'
adjective Used with होना (honaa) to ask about someone's state or condition, agreeing in gender/number with the subject: तुम कैसे हो (tum kaise ho, 'how are you'), तुम कैसी हो (tum kaisii ho, 'how are you,' to a woman).
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the first question in almost every friendly exchange in Delhi -- आप कैसे हैं (aap kaise hain) or the more casual क्या हाल है (kyaa haal hai) between friends. Getting the gender agreement right here is one of the small things that makes your Hindi sound natural rather than textbook-ish.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget to change कैसा (kaisaa) to agree with the person being addressed -- कैसे (kaise) for a male or plural, कैसी (kaisii) for a female. 2) Confusing this sense with the manner-adverb कैसे (kaise, 'by what means'), which looks identical in its plural/oblique form but asks a completely different question -- compare तुम कैसे हो (tum kaise ho, 'how are you') with तुमने यह कैसे किया (tumne yah kaise kiyaa, 'how did you do this').
Sample Sentences:
आप कैसे हैं?
How are you?
(aap kaise hain?)
तू कैसी है?
How are you?
(too kaisii hai?)
आज तेरी तबीयत कैसी है?
How is your health today?
(aaj terii tabiiyat kaisii hai?)
कल का इम्तिहान कैसा रहा?
How did yesterday's exam go?
(kal kaa imtihaan kaisaa rahaa?)
जब मैं वहाँ पहुँचा, तो हालात कैसे थे?
When I got there, how were the conditions?
(jab main vahaan pahunchaa, to haalaat kaise the?)
पापा का बुखार कैसा रहेगा, यह डॉक्टर ही बताएँगे।
Only the doctor will be able to tell how dad's fever will be.
(paapaa kaa bukhaar kaisaa rahegaa, yah doktar hii bataaenge।)
अगर वह ठीक से खाता-पीता, तो उसकी सेहत कैसी होती?
If he had eaten and drunk properly, how would his health have been?
(agar vah thiik se khaataa-piitaa, to uskii sehat kaisii hotii?)
क्या हाल है?
How's it going?
(kyaa haal hai?)
मैं जानना चाहता हूँ कि उसकी हालत कैसी है।
I want to know how his condition is.
(main jaannaa chaahtaa hoon ki uskii haalat kaisii hai।)
श्रीमान शर्मा, आपकी सेहत कैसी है?
Mr. Sharma, how is your health?
(shriimaan sharmaa, aapkii sehat kaisii hai?)
पूछो तो कि सब कैसे हैं।
Go on and ask how everyone is.
(poochho to ki sab kaise hain।)
Sense
2
:
type or quality -- 'what kind of'
adjective Modifies a following noun and agrees with it in gender/number: कैसा आदमी (kaisaa aadmii, 'what kind of man'), कैसी किताब (kaisii kitaab, 'what kind of book').
Synonyms: किस तरह का (kis tarah kaa), किस प्रकार का (kis prakaar kaa, slightly more formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in markets and shops -- आपको कैसा कपड़ा चाहिए (aapko kaisaa kapdaa chaahie, 'what kind of cloth do you want') is a shopkeeper's stock question in Delhi's bazaars.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes place कैसा (kaisaa) after the noun it modifies instead of before it, unlike in English where 'what kind of' questions can be phrased more flexibly.
Sample Sentences:
आपको कैसा कपड़ा चाहिए?
What kind of cloth do you want?
(aapko kaisaa kapdaa chaahie?)
तुम्हें कैसी लड़कियाँ पसंद हैं?
What kind of girls do you like?
(tumhen kaisii ladkiyaan pasand hain?)
आप कैसा घर खरीदना चाहते हैं?
What kind of house do you want to buy?
(aap kaisaa ghar khariidnaa chaahte hain?)
उसने कैसी नौकरी के लिए अर्ज़ी दी थी?
What kind of job had he applied for?
(usne kaisii naukrii ke lie arzii dii thii?)
कैसा खाना बनाया जाए, यह तुम बताओ।
You tell me what kind of food should be made.
(kaisaa khaanaa banaayaa jaae, yah tum bataao।)
अगर पैसे होते तो मैं कैसा मकान बनवाता?
If I had had money, what kind of house would I have built?
(agar paise hote to main kaisaa makaan banvaataa?)
बताओ तो, तुम्हें कैसा तोहफ़ा दिया जाए?
Tell me, what kind of gift should be given to you?
(bataao to, tumhen kaisaa tohfaa diyaa jaae?)
आपको किस डिज़ाइन का सूट चाहिए, यह तो बताइए कि कैसा रंग पसंद है।
Whatever design of suit you need, at least tell me what kind of color you like.
(aapko kis dizaain kaa soot chaahie, yah to bataaie ki kaisaa rang pasand hai।)
वह कैसा आदमी निकला, यह तो वक़्त ही बताएगा।
What kind of man he turned out to be -- only time will tell.
(vah kaisaa aadmii niklaa, yah to vaqt hii bataaegaa।)
सर, आपको कैसी चाय पसंद है, तेज़ या हल्की?
Sir, what kind of tea do you like, strong or light?
(sar, aapko kaisii chaay pasand hai, tez yaa halkii?)
Sense
3
:
manner or method -- 'how, by what means'
adverb Asks about the method or manner of an action, not the condition of a person or thing -- modifies the verb rather than a noun: तुमने यह कैसे किया (tumne yah kaise kiyaa, 'how did you do this?'), यह कैसे हुआ (yah kaise huaa, 'how did this happen?'). This form is invariant -- it does not change for gender or number, even though it happens to share its spelling with the masculine plural/oblique form of the adjective कैसा (kaisaa).
Synonyms: किस तरह (kis tarah), किस प्रकार (kis prakaar, slightly more formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the कैसे (kaise) you reach for when you genuinely want to know the 'how-to' of something -- यह कैसे बनाते हैं (yah kaise banaate hain, 'how do you make this') is exactly the question you'd ask a friend's mother hovering over a pot in the kitchen, wanting the actual method, not a comment on how the dish is doing.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often confuse this with sense (1), the condition-adjective कैसा/कैसी/कैसे (kaisaa/kaisii/kaise) -- तुम कैसे हो (tum kaise ho, 'how are you,' asking about state) looks similar to तुमने यह कैसे किया (tumne yah kaise kiyaa, 'how did you do this,' asking about method), but they are grammatically different words that happen to overlap in spelling. 2) Because this adverb never changes form, learners sometimes mistakenly try to feminize or pluralize it to match the subject, which is unnecessary and incorrect here.
Sample Sentences:
यह पराठा कैसे बनाते हैं?
How do you make this paratha?
(yah paraathaa kaise banaate hain?)
मुझे नहीं पता कि यह मशीन कैसे चलती है।
I don't know how this machine works.
(mujhe nahiin pataa ki yah mashiin kaise chaltii hai।)
तुम यहाँ तक कैसे पहुँचे?
How did you get here?
(tum yahaan tak kaise pahunche?)
कृपया बताइए कि यह फॉर्म कैसे भरा जाता है।
Please tell me how this form is filled out.
(kripyaa bataaie ki yah phorm kaise bharaa jaataa hai।)
पहले सोच लो कि यह काम कैसे होगा।
First think about how this work will get done.
(pahle soch lo ki yah kaam kaise hogaa।)
अगर बिजली न होती, तो हम यह वीडियो कैसे देखते?
If there were no electricity, how would we watch this video?
(agar bijlii n hotii, to ham yah viidiyo kaise dekhte?)
यह गुत्थी कैसे सुलझाई जाए, समझ नहीं आ रहा।
I can't figure out how this puzzle should be solved.
(yah gutthii kaise suljhaaii jaae, samajh nahiin aa rahaa।)
गुरुजी ने समझाया कि मन को शांत कैसे रखा जाता है।
The teacher explained how one keeps the mind calm.
(gurujii ne samjhaayaa ki man ko shaant kaise rakhaa jaataa hai।)
ज़रा दिखा तो, यह गाना गिटार पर कैसे बजाते हैं।
Just show me how this song is played on the guitar.
(zaraa dikhaa to, yah gaanaa gitaar par kaise bajaate hain।)
उसे कैसे मनाया जाए, यही सोचता रहा मैं सारी रात।
How to convince her -- that's all I kept thinking about all night.
(use kaise manaayaa jaae, yahii sochtaa rahaa main saarii raat।)
Sense
4
:
exclamatory -- 'what a...!'
adjective Used exclamatorily before a noun, agreeing in gender/number, often with a following adjective: कैसा सुंदर दिन है (kaisaa sundar din hai, 'what a beautiful day it is!').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This exclamatory use carries real emotional color -- often said with a hand gesture or a shake of the head, the way you might say 'what a thing!' in English with real feeling behind it.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to use क्या (kyaa) here instead, which also has an exclamatory use but combines differently -- क्या दिन है (kyaa din hai) versus कैसा सुंदर दिन है (kaisaa sundar din hai); the two are not always interchangeable in fixed exclamations.
Sample Sentences:
कैसा सुहाना मौसम है!
What lovely weather!
(kaisaa suhaanaa mausam hai!)
कैसी बेवकूफी की बात है!
What a stupid thing to say!
(kaisii bevkoophii kii baat hai!)
कैसा शानदार घर बनाया है उसने!
What a magnificent house he has built!
(kaisaa shaandaar ghar banaayaa hai usne!)
कैसी मुसीबत आ पड़ी थी हम पर!
What a disaster had befallen us!
(kaisii musiibat aa padii thii ham par!)
कैसा इत्तेफ़ाक़ है कि हम दोनों एक ही दिन पैदा हुए!
What a coincidence that both of us were born on the same day!
(kaisaa ittefaaq hai ki ham donon ek hii din paidaa hue!)
कैसी क़िस्मत पाई है इस बच्चे ने!
What fortune this child has been blessed with!
(kaisii qismat paaii hai is bachche ne!)
कैसा ज़ुल्म है यह!
What cruelty this is!
(kaisaa zulm hai yah!)
कैसे अच्छे दिन थे वे!
What good days those were!
(kaise achchhe din the ve!)
अरे, कैसा धोखा दिया उसने मुझे!
Oh, what a betrayal he dealt me!
(are, kaisaa dhokhaa diyaa usne mujhe!)
कैसी विडंबना है कि सच बोलने वाला ही सज़ा पाता है!
What an irony that it is the truth-teller who gets punished!
(kaisii vidambnaa hai ki sach bolne vaalaa hii sazaa paataa hai!)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
कैसा
(kaisaa)
(pl.m):
कैसे
(kaise)
(sg.f):
कैसी
(kaisii)
(pl.f):
कैसी
(kaisii)