Kiuj

Kiuj is an interrogative pronoun in Esperanto used to ask about a plural set of people or things. It functions similarly to “which ones” or “who (plural)” in English, and is part of the ki- family of question words that also includes kiu (singular “which/who”) and kio (what).

Grammar and forms: The word kiuj has distinct forms to reflect number: singular nominative is kiu, singular accusative is kiun; plural nominative is kiuj, and plural accusative is kiujn. In Esperanto, accusative endings (-n) mark the direct object of a verb, while prepositional phrases with a preposition such as kun, en, or por use the nominative form (kiu/kiuj) after the preposition. For example, with a preposition you say kun kiu (with whom) or kun kiuj (with which ones), not with kiun or kiujn.

Usage: Kiuj is used to identify a subset from a known set or to inquire about the identity of multiple entities. It can modify a noun directly, as in kiu libro? or kiu libro estas via? for “which book is yours?” When asking about several items or people, kiuj is common: kiuj estas viaj amikoj? “Who are your friends?” and kiujn vi vidas? “Which ones do you see?” where the accusative form cantidades apply when kiujn is used as a direct object.

Etymology and status: Kiuj is a standard, widely used word in Esperanto, reflecting the language’s regular approach to forming interrogatives from the ki- root. It exemplifies Esperanto’s clarity in number agreement and case marking, with straightforward rules for nominative and accusative forms.

See also: kiu, kio, kio estas, kiom, kies.