Etymologically
Log in

что

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 00:38. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • [ʂto], [t͡ɕto][1]

Forms

что (što) n[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic чьто (čĭto), from Proto-Slavic *čьto.[1][2] Proto-Slavic joined the interrogative *čь (“what”) to *to, the neuter of *tъ (“that”) (see тот); the pronoun proper is ⟨*čь⟩, and ⟨-to⟩ is a particle, as in кто.[2][3][4] The bare ⟨*čь⟩ survives in Old Russian чь (čĭ), Old Church Slavonic ничьже (ničĭže, “nothing”), Serbo-Croatian ča (“what”) and Polish zacz (“for what”).[2] The Old Church Slavonic genitive чесо (česo) has its match in co and Czech co;[2] Vasmer doubts Sobolevsky's view that Ukrainian що (ščo) comes from it too.[2]

⟨*čь⟩ is related to Avestan čit, Ancient Greek τί (tí, “what”), Latin quid, Oscan pid and Hittite kui-, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid;[2][4] Wiktionary analyses the whole as *kʷid fused with *tód.[1] The late Russian phrase что за “what kind of” is a calque of German was für ein.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Russian has чьто from the 11th century, rarely чь; from the 13th century it is also written што, rarely че; the genitive was чего, with чьсо, чесо in bookish texts.[3] It was an interrogative “what”, but also “how, why, what for”, and a conjunction.[3] The Lay of Igor's Campaign has it six times, beginning „Что ми шумить, что ми звенить давечя рано предъ зорями?” “What is that roaring, what is that ringing for me early, before dawn?”[5]

Semantic evolution

Shaposhnikov sums up the older senses as “what, something; how much, how, why, for what reason”, and finds что in the dictionaries from 1627.[4] The spelling што of the 13th century reflects the modern pronunciation [ʂto].[3][1] Colloquial speech also has чё and чо.[1]

Timeline

  • 11th century – чьто in Old Russian.[3]
  • end of the 12th century – что six times in the Lay of Igor's Campaign.[5]
  • 13th century – the spelling што.[3]
  • 1627 – in a dictionary.[4]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. what: interrogative and relative, pointing to the thing or event spoken of.[6][4][1]
  2. (as a predicate) How is…?: что твоя работа?[6]
  3. why, the same as почему.[6][4]
  4. How much, the same as сколько: что стоит?[6]
  5. which, the same as который: книга, что лежит на столе.[6][1]
  6. (colloquial) something, anything: если что “if anything happens”.[6]

Conjunction

  1. that: introduces a clause that complements the main one.[4][1]
  2. что …, что: both … and.[1]
  3. (dated) As, like.[4]

Word family

  • ничто
  • нечто
  • что-то
  • что-нибудь
  • что-либо
  • кое-что
  • чтобы
  • почём
  • ничего
  • нечего
  • никчёмный
  • кто
  • тот
  • Old East Slavic чьто (čĭto)

Usage notes

Что is pronounced [ʂto], with ⟨ч⟩ read as [ʂ].[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 374
  3. ^ a b c d e f Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 2, s.v. что
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 2, 529
  5. ^ a b Vinogradova, V. L. (1965–1984), Slovar'-spravočnik «Slova o polku Igoreve» [Словарь-справочник «Слова о полку Игореве»], 6 vols., Moskva / Leningrad: Nauka, p. s.v. что
  6. ^ a b c d e f Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. что