I am confused about when to use Что это vs. Какой when asking a question that begins with, "What is...?".

asked 19 Jul '11, 10:16

Lisa's gravatar image

Lisa
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accept rate: 0%


"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's gravatar image

it-ogo
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accept rate: 27%

edited 19 Jul '11, 20:32

Alex's gravatar image

Alex ♦♦
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Asked: 19 Jul '11, 10:16

Seen: 1,472 times

Last updated: 19 Jul '11, 20:32