What Greek phrase did Julius Caesar reportedly say to Brutus as he was assassinated?

Julius Caesar was reportedly addressed by the Greek phrase “Kai su, teknon” as he was assassinated. It means “You too, child” or “You too, my child.”

The wording comes from the ancient historian Suetonius, who recorded that some accounts said Caesar spoke Greek to Brutus. The phrase is often written in transliteration as “Kai su, teknon” or “Kai συ, τέκνον,” and its exact meaning is uncertain because the ancient sources disagree about Caesar’s final words.

The famous Latin expression “Et tu, Brute?” comes primarily from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, not from the earliest historical accounts. Shakespeare popularized the idea that Caesar reacted directly to Brutus, while other ancient writers give different versions or omit the line entirely.

The assassination took place on the Ides of March, March 15, 44 BC, in Rome’s Theatre of Pompey. Brutus was among the conspirators who attacked Caesar, although the historical relationship between the two men was more complicated than the familiar dramatic scene suggests.