When to use Что это vs. Какой?

0	I am confused about when to use Что это vs. Какой when asking a question that begins with, "What is...?". что это what какой asked 19 Jul '11, 10:16 Lisa 1●1●1●1 accept rate: 0%

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"Какой" is used to select from the explicitly mentioned category. Try to replace "what" by "which" or "what kind of". If it will keep a sense, then, most probably, it should be "какой" in Russian.

What do you want? - Что вы хотите?
What cookie do you want? - Какое печенье вы хотите?

Examples with Что (general "what")

Что это? = What is this?
Что случилось? = What happened?
Что вы хотите? = What do you want?

Examples with Какой (specific "what/which")

Како́е сего́дня число́? = What is the date today?
Из како́й вы страны́? = What country are you from?
Кака́я хоро́шая но́вость! = What a good news!
Како́й у тебя́ рост? = What is your height?

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answered 19 Jul '11, 11:05

it-ogo
991●4●11
accept rate: 27%

edited 19 Jul '11, 20:32

Alex ♦♦
1.1k●8●25

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это ×2
what ×1
какой ×1
что ×1

Asked: 19 Jul '11, 10:16

Seen: 1,472 times

Last updated: 19 Jul '11, 20:32

When to use Что это vs. Какой?

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