Why

Table of contents

1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Adverb 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Translations 1.4 Conjunction 1.4.1 Translations 1.5 Noun 1.5.1 Synonyms 1.5.2 Translations 1.6 Interjection 1.6.1 Translations 1.7 Related Words

English

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hwȳ.

Pronunciation

• wī, /waɪ/, /WaI/

  Homophones: y

• hwī, /ʍaɪ/, /WaI/

Adverb

why

1. for what reason.

   Why did you do that?

Synonyms

• how come

Translations

• Alabama: sáhmi
• Breton: perak
• Bulgarian: защо (1, 2)
• Catalan: per què
• Chickasaw: katimi ta
• Czech: proc
• Dutch: waarom
• Esperanto: kial
• Finnish: miksi
• French: pourquoi
• Frisian: wêrom
• German: warum , wieso
• Hebrew: למה (láma); מדוע (madu'a)
• Ido: pro quo
• Indonesian: mengapa, kenapa
• Italian: perché
• Japanese: 何故 (なぜ , naze), なんで (nande), どうして (dōshite)
• Latin: cur
• Neapolitan: pecché
• Persian: چِرا (čerā)
• Pitjantjatjara: nyaaku
• Portuguese: por que
• Romanian: de ce , pentru ce
• Spanish: por qué
• Welsh: paham

Conjunction

why

1. the reason that.

   I don't know why he did that.

Translations

• Catalan: perquè
• Finnish: miksi
• French: pourquoi
• German: warum
• Italian: perché
• Latin: quid
• Portuguese: porque
• Spanish: porqué

Noun

why (plural: whys )

1. the reason.

   A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how.

Synonyms

• wherefore

Translations

• Bulgarian: причина f
• Catalan: perquè
• Dutch: waarom n
• Indonesian: mengapa, kenapa
• Italian: perché
• Japanese: 何故 (なぜ , naze), どうして (dōshite)
• Neapolitan: pecché
• Portuguese: porquê
• Romanian: pentru ce
• Spanish: porqué

Interjection

why

1. Exclamation of surprise

   Why! How did you do that?

Translations

• Bulgarian: ей , хей
• Dutch: wel

Related Words

• because