Kurdish Phrase · Greetings
How to say 'How are you' in Kurdish?
Answer
Tu çawa yî?
(How are you?)
The most common way to ask "how are you?" in Kurmanji Kurdish is Tu çawa yî? — used informally with one person. For the formal or plural "you", say Hûn çawa ne?. In Sorani Kurdish (the other main dialect) the same question is Çonî? (چۆنی).
Formal, informal & dialect variants
| When to use | Kurdish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Informal — to one person (Kurmanji)Everyday, friends & family | Tu çawa yî? | How are you? |
| Formal / plural (Kurmanji)Elders, strangers, groups | Hûn çawa ne? | How are you? (formal/plural) |
| SoraniCentral Kurdish, Arabic script | Çonî? / چۆنی | How are you? |
How to reply
Ez baş im
I'm good
Ez baş im, spas
I'm good, thanks
Ne xirab
Not bad
Word-by-word breakdown
Kurmanji builds this question from three small pieces: Tu ("you", singular), çawa ("how"), and yî — the 2nd-person-singular form of the linking verb "to be". Put together, Tu çawa yî? literally reads "You how are?".
The word order feels back-to-front to English speakers because Kurdish is a subject–object–verb language: the verb (here the copula yî) lands at the very end of the sentence.
The copula "yî" (a quick grammar note)
The little ending yî is the present-tense copula agreeing with tu ("you", singular). It only attaches to the singular "you". With the plural/formal hûn the copula changes to ne, which is why the polite form is Hûn çawa ne? and not "Hûn çawa yî?".
You will meet these copula endings (im, î/yî, e, in, in, ne) constantly — they are the Kurmanji equivalent of "am / are / is". Learning them once unlocks dozens of everyday sentences.
Using it naturally
Kurds usually greet first and then ask how you are, so you will often hear it chained after a greeting: Silav, tu çawa yî? ("Hello, how are you?") or Roj baş, hûn çawa ne? ("Good day, how are you?").
A warm, very common follow-up is to return the question with Tu çawa yî? or, more casually, just Tu? ("And you?").
Common mistakes
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "how are you" in Kurdish?
In Kurmanji Kurdish you say "Tu çawa yî?" to one person informally, or "Hûn çawa ne?" formally or to a group. In Sorani Kurdish it is "Çonî? (چۆنی)".
How do you reply to "Tu çawa yî?"
The standard reply is "Ez baş im" ("I'm good"), often softened with thanks: "Ez baş im, spas". A casual alternative is "Ne xirab" ("Not bad").
What is the difference between "Tu çawa yî" and "Hûn çawa ne"?
"Tu çawa yî?" uses the singular "you" (tu) for friends, family and peers. "Hûn çawa ne?" uses the plural/formal "you" (hûn) for elders, strangers, or more than one person.
Is "how are you" the same in Kurmanji and Sorani?
No. Kurmanji uses "Tu çawa yî?" (Latin script), while Sorani uses "Çonî?" written in Arabic script (چۆنی). They are different dialects of Kurdish.
Related Kurdish phrases
Kurdish: Tu çawa yî?