ko

English Online Dictionary. What means ko‎? What does ko mean?

Translingual

Symbol

ko

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Korean.

See also

• Wiktionary's coverage of Korean terms

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 劫 (kō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkəʊ/
• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophone: Co.

Noun

ko (plural ko)

1. (go) A local shape to which the ko rule applies; a ko shape.

2. (go) ko fight

3. (go) a stone in a ko in atari, a ko stone

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• O. K., OK, OK., Ok, Ok., ok

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈko/ [ˈkɔ]

Pronoun

kó

1. thee, you

Usage notes

• The form kóo is used when the pronoun isn't followed by a clitic.

See also

References

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “ko”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN

Äiwoo

Verb

ko

1. to lie down

References

• Ross, M. & Næss, Å. (2007) “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 46, number 2. Cited in: "Äiwoo" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Bambara

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kò]

Verb

ko

1. to say

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kó]

Verb

ko

1. to wash

References

• 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Bikol Central

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ko/

Pronoun

ko

1. by me

   Sinalo ko an bola. ― The ball was caught by me.

2. of me

   An harong ko. ― My house.

3. me

   Sa taas ko. ― Above me.

Boko

Etymology

Cognate with Bokobaru koo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kō/

Noun

ko

1. chicken

Derived terms

• koda (“hen”)
• kosa (“rooster”)

Buginese

Pronoun

ko

1. (Sinjai) you, your, yours (casual)

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko/ [ko]

Etymology 1

Clipping of ako.

Pronoun

ko (Badlit spelling ᜃᜓ)

1. short form of ako (“1st person singular subject”)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-ku, from Proto-Austronesian *-ku.

Pronoun

ko (Badlit spelling ᜃᜓ)

1. (uncommon, literary) my, mine, by me (object of verb; possessive marker)

   Synonyms: nako, akò

Usage notes

• In colloquial Cebuano, ko is generally used and understood as a subject (direct) marked pronoun, as a clipping of ako. Its use as the object (indirect) is virtually limited to literary works such as the Bible and in some dialects where there is some influence from Tagalog, which solely uses its ko in the object (indirect) position and as a possessive pronoun.

  (general, colloquial): anak ko ― I am a child

  (literary, dialectal): anak ko ― my child

See also

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse *kōʀ (east), kýr (west), from Proto-Germanic *kōz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koːˀ/, [ˈkʰoˀ]

Noun

ko c (singular definite koen, plural indefinite køer)

1. cow

Declension

References

• “ko” in Den Danske Ordbog

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ko]
• Hyphenation: ko

Noun

ko (accusative singular ko-on, plural ko-oj, accusative plural ko-ojn)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter K/k.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo

Ewe

Verb

ko

1. to laugh

Finnish

Alternative forms

• ku
• kö

Etymology

Related to kuka, kun, kuin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈko/, [ˈko̞]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation^(key): ko

Conjunction

ko (dialectal)

1. Alternative form of kun.
2. Alternative form of kuin.
3. Synonym of koska.

Usage notes

In some dialects, ko has become unstressed, subjecting it to vowel harmony and leading to the form kö after front-vowelic words.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ki.lo.ɔk.tɛ/

Noun

ko m (plural ko)

1. Abbreviation of kilooctet (kilobyte)

Fula

Suffix

ko

1. Noun class indicator for nouns (singular)

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

Article

ko

1. (definite) the (when it follows the noun)

   ñayko ko ― the thatch

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

Determiner

ko

1. (used in indicating something)

   ko ñayko ― this/that thatch

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

Gagauz

Alternative forms

• co (pre-1950's spelling)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Anatolian Turkish قو (qo, “put! let go!”), imperative of قومق (qomaq, “to put”), from Proto-Turkic *ko-.

Etymology

• IPA^(key): /ˈko/

Conjunction

ko

1. indicates desire, may, let

   ko Allaa seni ayozlasın! ― may god bless you

   ko herzaman olsun güneş! ― may the sun always shine

   ko yaşasın halkımız! ― long live our people!

Related terms

Further reading

• N. A Baskakov, editor (1972), “ko”, in Gagauzsko-Russko-Moldavskij Slovarʹ [Gagauz-Russian-Moldovan Dictionary], Moskva: Izdatelʹstvo Sovetskaja Enciklopedija, →ISBN, page 272
• Ciachir, Mihail (1938) “co”, in Dicționar gagauzo (tiurco)–român pentru gagauzii din Basarabia (in Romanian), Chișinău, page 34

Guanano

Noun

ko

1. water
2. medicine
3. relative, fellow Kotiria

References

• Kristine Stenzel, A Reference Grammar of Kotiria (Wanano)

Guaraní

Determiner

ko

1. this

Hawaiian

Alternative forms

• kō

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko/

Preposition

ko

1. of, belonging to first part of possessive constructions, o-type

   ko mākou hale ― our house

   ko ke kumu kaʻa ― the teacher's car

See also

Hokkien

Indonesian

Pronoun

ko

1. (Java, informal) Second-person singular pronoun: you, your, yours

Synonyms

Indonesian informal second-person pronouns:

• anta (informal, mainly used by Muslim community)
• antum (informal, mainly used by Muslim community)
• coen (slang, East Java)
• ente (informal, mainly used by Betawi ethnic group)
• kamu (intimate)
• ko, kowe (informal, Java)
• kon, koen (colloquial, East Java)
• lu, lo, loe, elu (informal, mainly used by Betawi ethnic group)
• mika, mike (informal, Eastern Sumatra)

Ingrian

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈko/, [ˈko̞]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈko/, [ˈko̞]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: ko

Conjunction

ko

1. Alternative form of ku

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 178

Japanese

Romanization

ko

1. The hiragana syllable こ (ko) or the katakana syllable コ (ko) in Hepburn romanization.

Kalasha

Adverb

ko

1. why

Interjection

ko

1. why

Noun

ko

1. why

Kamta

Etymology

From Sanskrit কথযতি (katháyati). Cognate with Assamese ক (ko), Sylheti ꠇꠅꠀ (xooa), Bengali কওয়া (koōẇa), Hindustani कहना (kahnā) / کہنا (kahnā).

Verb

ko

1. say
2. tell

   Oĩ mök koisil. ― He told me

3. speak

   kotha ko ― speak

Conjugation

Karelian

Particle

ko

1. like, as

Kirikiri

Noun

ko

1. woman

Further reading

Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages

Latvian

Pronoun

ko (interrogative)

1. accusative of kas: what, who

   ko tu gribi apskatīt? ― what would you like to see?

Pronoun

ko (relative)

1. accusative of kas: that

   teksts, ko tu lasi ― the text that you're reading

2. accusative of kas: what, who

   tas ir tas, ko es domāju ― that is what I mean

3. accusative of kas: which

Interjection

ko

1. sorry?
2. pardon?
3. what?

Lithuanian

Pronoun

ko

1. genitive of kas

   Ko tu nori? ― What do you want?

Usage notes

The word ko is the non-possessive genitive.

For the possessive genitive ("whose?") of kas, see kieno.

Further reading

• “ko”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2025
• Vytautas Ambrazas (2006) Lithuanian Grammar, 2nd revised edition, pages 186, 193

Maaka

Noun

ko

1. head

References

• Russell G. Schuh, Maka Wordlist, p. 6

Maori

Particle

ko

1. Placed at the beginning of nominative phrases to signify that they are declarative

Mapudungun

Noun

ko (Raguileo spelling)

1. water

References

• Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.
• Estudios de lengua y cultura amerindias II (1998) (spells it có)

Norman

Alternative forms

• co (Jersey, Guernsey, Normandy)

Etymology

From Old French col, from Latin collum (“neck”).

Noun

ko m (plural kos)

1. (Sark, anatomy) neck

Nyishi

Alternative forms

• ku

Etymology

From Proto-Tani *koː.

Noun

ko

1. child
2. son

References

• P. T. Abraham (2005) A Grammar of Nyishi Language‎^[3], Delhi: Farsight Publishers and Distributors

Nǀuu

Verb

ko

1. to be other, to be another

   Synonym: ǂâa

References

• Güldemann, Tom and Ernszt, Martina and Siegmund, Sven and Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena. 2010.0. A Text documentation of Nǀuu.
• Ernszt, Martina & Güldemann, Tom & Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena. (2015). "Valency in Nǁng.

Old Javanese

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kaSu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko/
• Rhymes: -ko
• Hyphenation: ko

Pronoun

ko

1. you

Alternative forms

• kwa

References

• "ko" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Old Norse

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

ko ?

1. (East dialect) cow

See also

• kýr

Further reading

• Wikipedia article Old Norse language

Old Saxon

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kō (“cow”).

Noun

kō f

1. cow

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Middle Low German: kô, ko, koo, kou, koe, koh, koy, ku
  • German Low German: Koh, Kauh, Ko, Koo, Kuh
  • Plautdietsch: Koo

References

Köbler, Gerhard, Altsächsisches Wörterbuch (5th edition 2014)

Pali

Alternative forms

Pronoun

ko

1. masculine nominative singular of ka

Rapa Nui

Interjection

ko

1. exclamation suggesting a personal reaction

Usage notes

For non-personal judgment, consider using ka.

Particle

ko

1. particle prefixed to names as a determinative

Rawa

Adverb

ko

1. again

References

• Norma Toland, Donald Toland, Reference Grammar of the Karo/Rawa Language (1991)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *kъto, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷid, (compare *kʷis).

Alternative forms

• tkȍ (Croatia)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kô/

Pronoun

kȍ (Cyrillic spelling ко̏)

1. (Bosnia, Serbia, interrogatively) who

   ko si ti? ― who are you?

2. (Bosnia, Serbia, relative and indefinite pronoun)

   bilo ko ― anybody, anyone

   malo ko ― very few people

   onaj ko ― he who, whoever

Declension

Synonyms

• kdo (Kajkavian)
• gdo (Kajkavian)

Etymology 2

From kȁo.

Contraction

ko (Cyrillic spelling ко)

1. contraction of kȁo

Related terms

• kȁo

References

• “ko”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025
• “ko”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Slovene

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *jako (“how, in which way”). Cognate with Serbo-Croatian ako.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ/

Conjunction

ko

1. when (at the time that)

   pride dan, ko nimas energije - there comes a day when you have no energy

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Conjunction

ko

1. (colloquial) Alternative form of kot

Swahili

Pronunciation

Verb

-ko

1. present stem of -wako (“to be (at an indefinite place)”)

   yuko ― he/she is (there)

See also

• -ko: verbal affix
• -wapo (“to be (at a definite place)”)
• -wamo (“to be inside (of a definite place)”)

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse ko, from East Old Norse ko, from Proto-Germanic *kōz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuː/

Noun

ko c

1. cow; female cattle

2. a female member of a number of other species, such as elk

Declension

Related terms

See also

References

• ko in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• ko in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker
• ko in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• OK, ok

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• co — obsolete, Spanish-based spelling
• k, q — text messaging slang

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-ku, from Proto-Austronesian *-ku.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ko/ [ko]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: ko
• Homophones: Co, Kho, Ko

Pronoun

ko (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜓ) (postpositive)

1. my; mine

   Synonym: (prepositive) akin

   ang bahay ko ― my house

   sa taas ko ― above me (literally, “my above”)

2. I; me (indirect)

   Synonym: (prepositive) akin

See also

Further reading

• “ko”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2024
• “ko”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*-ku”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Talysh

Etymology

Cognate with Persian کار (kâr).

Noun

ko

1. work

Taworta

Noun

ko

1. egg

Further reading

Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages

Tocharian A

Etymology

From Proto-Tocharian, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”). Compare Tocharian B keu, English cow.

Noun

ko

1. cow

Tokelauan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ko. Cognates include Hawaiian ʻo and Samoan ʻo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ko]
• Hyphenation: ko

Particle

ko

1. Marks an equational sentence.
2. Marks the topic of the sentence.
3. Marks the succeeding noun as in apposition of the preceding noun.
4. Placed after the conjunctions pe or ka.

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[5], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 163

Tuvaluan

Particle

ko

1. present perfect tense marker, inserted immediately before the relevant verb

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• k°

Adverb

ko

1. (informal) Abbreviation of không.

Anagrams

• OK

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish con (“with”).

Preposition

ko

1. with

Votic

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Akin to Ingrian ko.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈko/, [ˈko]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: ko

Adverb

ko

1. when (at what time; in the case that)
2. than (in comparisons)
3. as, because

Adverb

ko

1. how (in what way)

References

• Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “ko”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian kū, from Proto-West Germanic *kō (“cows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koː/

Noun

ko c (plural kij, diminutive koke)

1. cow

Derived terms

• seeko
• kowefleis

Further reading

• “ko”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko/

Verb

ko

1. (transitive) to carry on one's back

Conjugation

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[6], Pacific linguistics

White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɒ˧/

Etymology 1

Noun

ko (classifier: tus)

1. a handle (of any hand tool or implement, etc.)

   ko taus ― axe handle

2. used in ko taw (“foot”) and ko tw (“tail”)

Etymology 2

Particle

ko

1. a final completive particle

   Koj hais li ko... ― Speaking as you do...

   Txhob ua li ko. ― Don't do that.

References

• Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[7], SEAP Publications, →ISBN, page 85.

Wolof

Pronoun

ko

1. him/her/it (third-person singular object pronoun)

See also

Xhosa

Pronoun

-ko

1. Combining stem of kona.

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• ò (frequently used after personal pronouns)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kò/

Particle

kò

1. not (placed before a verb to negate it)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• tó

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kō/

Conjunction

ko

1. (Ekiti) that

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kó/

Verb

kó

1. to pack

   Ẹ bá mi kó ẹrù yìí sẹ́yìn ọkọ̀ ― Help me pack this load into the boot

2. to collect
3. to capture

   Wọ́n kó wọn lẹ́rú ― They captured them as slaves

Derived terms

• ìkówójẹ (“embezzlement”)
• akódọ̀tí (“garbage collector”)
• akólẹ́tà (“courier”)
• àkójọ (“collection”)

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kò/

Verb

kò

1. to touch
2. to meet

Derived terms

• fẹnu kò (“to kiss”)
• gbéjà kò (“to besiege; to attack”)
• foríkorí (“to brainstorm”)

Zazaki

Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *káwfš.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈko]
• Hyphenation: ko

Noun

ko m

1. (geography) mountain