Hausa asks “what kind/type of N?” with wane/wace/waɗanne + irin + noun: wane irin aiki? “what kind of work?”, wace irin mota? “what kind of car?”, and waɗanne irin motoci? “what kinds of cars?” The interrogative agrees with the noun being classified, while irin is the linked form of iri “kind, type.”
All unlabelled patterns here are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). The construction is ordinary in conversation, journalism, interviews, and formal writing. It asks for a category or quality, not merely the identity of one member. The -n in irin follows the same linking system introduced on the genitive linker -n page.
The three-part construction
Build the phrase in three decisions:
- choose wane, wace, or waɗanne from the gender and number of the classified noun;
- use linked irin “kind/type of”;
- add the noun in its ordinary form.
| Classified noun | Question phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular aiki | wane irin aiki | what kind of work |
| feminine singular mota | wace irin mota | what kind of car |
| plural motoci | waɗanne irin motoci | what kinds of cars |
Wane irin aiki kake yi?
What kind of work do you do?
Wace irin kujera kike nema?
What kind of chair are you looking for?
Waɗanne irin littattafai kuke karantawa a ajin?
What kinds of books do you read in the class?
The -n in irin is not an English plural or article. It is the linker that connects “kind” to the following material. Write it joined to iri.
Agreement reaches past irin
The form before irin agrees with the noun after it. This is a special and highly useful property of the construction: the intervening word iri does not force every question to use masculine wane.
Wane irin abinci suka dafa?
What kind of food did they cook?
Wace irin ƙasa ce suke zama a ciki?
What kind of country do they live in?
Waɗanne irin wasanni yara suke yi a nan?
What kinds of games do children play here?
Masculine abinci selects wane; feminine ƙasa selects wace; plural wasanni selects waɗanne. The rest of the clause follows its own syntax. If the questioned noun is the subject, its gender or number also controls clause agreement.
Wane irin magani ne zai taimaka?
What kind of medicine will help?
Wace irin hanya ce za ta fi sauƙi?
What kind of route will be easier?
Waɗanne irin hanyoyi ne za su rage cunkoso?
What kinds of routes will reduce congestion?
Notice masculine zai, feminine za ta, and plural za su. Agreement is a network across the phrase and clause, not a translation attached to the English word kind.
Wane/wace N versus wane/wace irin N
Without irin, wane/wace/waɗanne normally asks which member or members of a contextually relevant set. With irin, the question asks for a category, model, character, or type.
| Question | Expected answer |
|---|---|
| Wace mota kike so? | that particular Toyota / the red one |
| Wace irin mota kike so? | a small car / an electric car / a durable car |
| Waɗanne littattafai ka saya? | the identified books or their titles |
| Waɗanne irin littattafai ka saya? | novels, textbooks, dictionaries, and so on |
Wace mota kika saya — farar motar ko baƙar motar?
Which car did you buy—the white one or the black one?
Wace irin mota kika saya — ƙaramar mota ce ko babba?
What kind of car did you buy—is it a small car or a large one?
English often uses what for both questions, but Hausa overtly marks the “kind/type” construal with irin.
Answers with iri
An answer can name the category directly or reuse iri. The expression wani irin/wata irin means “a certain kind of.” After a noun, irin wannan/waccan means “of this/that kind” or “like this/that.”
Wane irin shayi kake so? Ina son shayi marar madara.
What kind of tea do you want? I want tea without milk.
Wace irin riga take nema? Tana neman riga mai dogon hannu.
What kind of dress is she looking for? She is looking for a long-sleeved dress.
Ban taɓa ganin na’ura irin wannan ba.
I have never seen a machine like this before.
Ba ma sayar da mota irin waccan a nan.
We do not sell a car of that kind here.
In na’ura irin wannan, the sequence irin wannan follows the classified noun. Linked irin precedes demonstrative wannan; do not write bare iri wannan. The linker marks the relation “of this kind.” The alternative pre-nominal frame wannan irin na’urar also means “this kind of machine” and shows the classified feminine noun in its linked form.
The sequence wani irin can also carry a discourse nuance such as “some kind of” or, with an appropriate tone and context, “a strange sort of.” It is not automatically negative.
Na ji wani irin ƙara daga bayan gida.
I heard some kind of noise from behind the house.
Ta kawo wata irin shawara da ba mu zata ba.
She brought a kind of proposal that we did not expect.
Masculine ƙara goes with wani, while feminine shawara goes with wata.
Asking about an identified object
A demonstrative can establish the object whose type is being requested. The demonstrative noun phrase retains its own internal grammar.
Wace irin mota ce wannan?
What kind of car is this?
Wane irin littafi ne wannan?
What kind of book is this?
Waɗanne irin kaya ne waɗannan?
What kinds of goods are these?
With the post-nominal demonstrative order, the noun must be linked:
Wace irin mota ce motar nan?
What kind of car is this car?
Here motar nan, not mota nan, identifies the visible car. Hausa does not have a free-standing article corresponding to English this/the. The reference comes from -r + nan and the surrounding situation.
Singular kind versus plural kinds
Singular wane/wace irin N can ask what category one entity belongs to or what kind of substance/activity is involved. Plural waɗanne irin N-plural expects more than one category or asks across plural entities.
Wane irin abinci ake ci a bikin?
What kind of food is eaten at the celebration?
Waɗanne irin kayan abinci ake ci a bukukuwan yankin?
What kinds of foodstuffs are eaten at celebrations in the region?
Wace irin matsala kuke fuskanta?
What kind of problem are you facing?
Waɗanne irin matsaloli kuke fuskanta?
What kinds of problems are you facing?
The difference is not mechanically “one answer versus several words.” A singular mass domain such as abinci may still receive a complex answer, while plural matsaloli explicitly presents multiple problems or problem types.
Discourse, definiteness, and presupposition
Wace mota? presupposes a context in which particular cars are candidates. Wace irin mota? need not presuppose a previously known car; it asks the addressee to specify a type. A later demonstrative can then make the chosen referent identifiable.
Ina neman mota mai cin mai kaɗan. Wace irin mota za ka ba ni shawara?
I’m looking for a fuel-efficient car. What kind of car would you recommend?
Na ga motoci biyu a waje. Wace mota ce taka?
I saw two cars outside. Which car is yours?
The English determiner what/which does not map one-to-one onto a single Hausa form. Gender, number, irin, word order, and the conversational domain all contribute.
A short exchange about a recoverable type
A: Wace irin waya kike nema? B: Ina neman waya mai kyamarar kirki. A: Waya irin wannan fa? B: Eh, amma ina son wadda batirinta ya fi ɗorewa.
A: What kind of phone are you looking for? B: I’m looking for a phone with a good camera. A: What about a phone like this? B: Yes, but I want one whose battery lasts longer.
Feminine waya selects wace. In waya irin wannan, the noun is followed by the comparison “of this kind”; within that comparison, irin links to wannan.
Practice in context
Wane irin ɗaki kake bukata?
What kind of room do you need? (masculine singular)
Wace irin kujera kike so?
What kind of chair do you want? (feminine singular)
Waɗanne irin ɗakuna suke da su?
What kinds of rooms do they have? (plural)
Wannan irin ɗakin zai dace.
This kind of room will be suitable.
Common Mistakes
1. Using wane for every noun because iri looks masculine.
❌ Wane irin mota kike nema?
Incorrect in the standard agreement pattern — mota is feminine singular.
✅ Wace irin mota kike nema?
What kind of car are you looking for?
2. Using a singular interrogative with a plural noun.
❌ Wane irin motoci kuke sayarwa?
Incorrect — motoci is plural.
✅ Waɗanne irin motoci kuke sayarwa?
What kinds of cars do you sell?
3. Omitting the linker on iri.
❌ Wace iri mota kike so?
Incorrect — iri must be in its linked form before the noun.
✅ Wace irin mota kike so?
What kind of car do you want?
4. Confusing which individual with what kind.
❌ Wace mota kike so?
Wrong if the intended question is about category rather than choosing one identified car.
✅ Wace irin mota kike so?
What kind of car do you want?
5. Omitting a linker before a demonstrative.
❌ Ban taɓa ganin iri wannan na’ura ba.
Incorrect — use linked irin before wannan.
✅ Ban taɓa ganin na’ura irin wannan a ko’ina ba.
I have never seen a machine like this anywhere.
Key Takeaways
- Use wane irin with masculine singular nouns, wace irin with feminine singular nouns, and waɗanne irin with plurals.
- Irin is the linked form of iri “kind/type”; its -n is required before what specifies the kind.
- Without irin, wane/wace/waɗanne usually asks which member; with irin, it asks for a category or type.
- Clause agreement still follows the questioned noun: zai, za ta, or za su.
- Demonstratives and discourse identify the referent; Hausa does not insert an English-style article into the construction.
Related Topics
- The Genitive Linker -nA2 — Use the joined Hausa linker -n after masculine, plural, and eligible non-a-final heads to connect a noun with its possessor or classifier.
- Linking before DemonstrativesA2 — Form Hausa post-nominal demonstratives with a linked noun before nan or can, and contrast them with full demonstratives before a bare noun.
- Gender Agreement beyond the NounA1 — Learn how a Hausa noun's gender controls copulas, demonstratives, definite forms, and genitive linkers across the noun phrase.
- Plural Agreement in the Noun PhraseA2 — See how Hausa plural nouns select common plural demonstratives, linkers, copulas, modifiers, and subject–TAM forms regardless of singular gender.
- Near Demonstratives: wannan and waɗannanA1 — Use wannan with a nearby singular referent and waɗannan with nearby plurals, both before nouns and as standalone demonstratives.
- me: Asking WhatA2 — Use me in Hausa subject, object, and identification questions while selecting relative TAM from the clause’s information structure.