Hausa ƙarƙashin identifies the lower region of something: under a table, beneath a tree, below a bridge. Its internal grammar is still visible. Before a noun, ƙarƙashin + noun phrase means roughly “the underside/lower region of X”; before a pronominal referent, an agreeing possessive suffix completes the relational noun. From this physical arrangement Hausa extends ƙarƙashin to authority, supervision, care, investigation, and restrictive conditions.
This page focuses on the lower region itself. When that region is the starting point of motion, combine it with the source marker explained under daga: from and out of.
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ordinary boko retains both occurrences of ƙ in ƙarƙashin, as well as ɓ, ɗ and apostrophes, without tone or vowel-length marks.
The basic lower-region relation
In a direct locative predicate, ƙarƙashin + noun phrase locates the subject below the complement.
Kyanwar tana ƙarƙashin motar, tana jiran ruwan ya lafa.
The cat is under the car, waiting for the rain to ease.
Tsohon akwatin yana ƙarƙashin gadon ɗakin baƙi.
The old box is under the bed in the guest room.
Inuwar rumfar tana rufe kujerun da suke ƙarƙashinta.
The shelter’s shade covers the chairs that are under it.
The complement can be an ordinary noun, a definite noun phrase, or a possessor phrase: ƙarƙashin mota, ƙarƙashin motar, ƙarƙashin motar Ali. English uses a free preposition under. Hausa presents the lower region as a noun-based relation belonging to its complement.
When a movement or event is located in that region, a ƙarƙashin is common:
Yaran sun ɓuya a ƙarƙashin matakala lokacin da aka kashe wuta.
The children hid under the stairs when the power went out.
Mun jira a ƙarƙashin bishiyar har aka buɗe shagon.
We waited under the tree until the shop opened.
Ruwa yana wucewa a ƙarƙashin tsohuwar gadar.
Water flows under the old bridge.
The outer a locates the hiding, waiting, or flowing event. In a simple continuative location, neutral Hausa normally says akwatin yana ƙarƙashin gado, not an English-shaped predicate with an obligatory extra a.
Under is not merely “lower than”
Ƙarƙashin normally evokes a lower region defined by a reference object. The objects may be aligned, sheltered, covered, or structurally related. General a ƙasa instead points to the ground, a lower level, or a broadly lower position.
Takalmina suna ƙarƙashin kujerar.
My shoes are under the chair. (the chair defines their location)
Takalmina suna a ƙasa kusa da ƙofa.
My shoes are on the floor near the door. (ground/floor location)
That minimal pair forces the distinction. The same shoes can be both lower than the chair and on the floor, but the speaker chooses which spatial frame matters. Ƙarƙashin kujera answers “under what?”; a ƙasa answers “at ground/floor level.”
Likewise, ƙasa da is useful in comparisons or numerical scales:
Zafin ya sauka ƙasa da digiri ashirin da safe.
The temperature fell below twenty degrees in the morning.
That is a point on a scale, not a physical underside. English under twenty does not license mechanical ƙarƙashin ashirin in the basic numerical comparison taught here.
Pronouns attach to the relational noun
The pronominal series is suffixed. This is the clearest evidence that ƙarƙashin behaves unlike an English preposition followed by a free object pronoun.
| Referent | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| me | ƙarƙashina | under me |
| you, one male | ƙarƙashinka | under you |
| you, one female | ƙarƙashinki | under you |
| him / it (masculine) | ƙarƙashinsa | under him/it |
| her / it (feminine) | ƙarƙashinta | under her/it |
| us / you all / them | ƙarƙashinmu / ƙarƙashinku / ƙarƙashinsu | under us / you / them |
Teburin yana da faɗi, kuma yara biyu suna iya zama a ƙarƙashinsa.
The table is wide, and two children can sit under it.
Gadar ta yi tsawo; ƙananan jiragen ruwa suna wucewa a ƙarƙashinta.
The bridge is high; small boats pass under it.
Mun kafa rumfa, muka ajiye kayan abinci a ƙarƙashinta.
We put up a shelter and placed the food supplies under it.
Masculine teburi triggers -sa, feminine gada and rumfa trigger -ta, and plurals trigger -su. The suffix agrees with the reference object, not with the item being located.
Protection, care, and supervision
Someone physically under a roof or tree is within its shelter. This motivates an abstract extension in which a person or activity lies within another person’s care or supervision.
Yaran suna ƙarƙashin kulawar kakarsu har iyayensu su dawo.
The children are under their grandmother’s care until their parents return.
Sabbin ma’aikatan za su yi aiki ƙarƙashin jagorancin injiniyar.
The new employees will work under the engineer’s supervision.
Aikin yana ƙarƙashin ikon ma’aikatar lafiya.
The project is under the authority of the Ministry of Health. (formal)
The complement names the controlling or protective frame: kulawa “care/supervision,” jagoranci “leadership,” iko “authority.” This extension is conventional in neutral careful speech and especially frequent in (formal) administrative writing.
With a pronominal supervisor, the same suffix pattern remains:
Ni ce shugabar sashen; ma’aikata shida suna ƙarƙashina.
I am the head of the unit; six employees work under me. (neutral careful style)
This does not mean that the employees are physically below the speaker. Their organizational position is subordinate to hers.
Investigation, law, and limiting conditions
Formal Hausa also uses ƙarƙashin for a state governed by a process, rule, or condition.
Kamfanin yana ƙarƙashin bincike saboda zargin almundahana.
The company is under investigation because of allegations of corruption. (formal)
An aiwatar da shirin ƙarƙashin sabuwar doka.
The program was implemented under the new law. (formal)
An sake shi ƙarƙashin sharaɗin cewa zai rika zuwa kotu.
He was released on the condition that he would keep appearing in court. (formal/legal)
These complements control or delimit the situation much as a physical object defines the region beneath it. Register matters: ƙarƙashin bincike, ƙarƙashin doka, and ƙarƙashin sharaɗi are at home in news, administration, and legal language. They should not be forced into every casual sentence simply because English uses under.
Source from below: daga ƙarƙashin
When the lower region is the starting point of movement, add source daga. The relational noun still supplies the geometry.
Ƙaramar ƙwallo ta fito daga ƙarƙashin kujera.
A small ball came out from under the chair.
Direban ya ji ƙara daga ƙarƙashin motar.
The driver heard a noise from underneath the vehicle.
Ƙwallon tana ƙarƙashin kujera describes its location. Ta fito daga ƙarƙashin kujera presents that lower region as its source. Do not add another general locative a between daga and ƙarƙashin.
Common Mistakes
1. Losing either ƙ in spelling
❌ Jakar tana karkashin gadon.
Incorrect standard spelling — both initial consonants are ƙ.
✅ Jakar tana ƙarƙashin gadon.
The bag is under the bed.
2. Adding an outer a to a direct predicate
❌ Akwatin yana a ƙarƙashin teburi.
Avoid the extra English-shaped a in this neutral direct locative predicate.
✅ Akwatin yana ƙarƙashin teburi.
The box is under a table.
3. Putting an independent pronoun after ƙarƙashin
❌ Yaran sun ɓuya a ƙarƙashin ita.
Incorrect — a feminine pronominal complement is suffixed.
✅ Yaran sun ɓuya a ƙarƙashinta.
The children hid under it. (feminine referent)
4. Using ƙarƙashin for a numerical comparison
❌ Farashin ya sauka ƙarƙashin naira dubu biyar.
Avoid this literal copy of English ‘under’ for the basic comparison intended here.
✅ Farashin ya sauka ƙasa da naira dubu biyar.
The price fell below five thousand naira.
5. Inserting a inside a source phrase
❌ Kyanwar ta fito daga a ƙarƙashin motar.
Incorrect — daga directly selects the relational lower region.
✅ Ƙaramar kyanwar ta fito daga ƙarƙashin motar.
The small cat came out from under the car.
Key Takeaways
- Ƙarƙashin + noun phrase identifies the lower region of its complement.
- Direct location uses yana/tana ƙarƙashin...; events located there commonly use a ƙarƙashin....
- Pronouns attach as suffixes: ƙarƙashina, ƙarƙashinka, ƙarƙashinta, ƙarƙashinmu, ƙarƙashinsu.
- Use a ƙasa for a ground/floor location and ƙasa da for a scalar “below”; use ƙarƙashin when a reference object or controlling frame defines the relation.
- Abstract ƙarƙashin covers care, supervision, authority, law, investigation, and restrictive conditions, often in formal registers.
- A source from the lower region is daga ƙarƙashin..., without an extra a.
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Start learning Hausa →Related Topics
- kan: On, Over, and AboutA2 — Use kan for a surface or upper region, attach possessive suffixes for pronominal complements, and extend the same frame to burdens and topics.
- cikin: Inside and AmongA2 — Use the relational noun cikin for a bounded interior, membership in a set, time limits, and several abstract frames, with possessive suffixes for pronominal complements.
- gaban: In Front Of and BeforeA2 — Use gaban for a front-facing region, pronominal gabana-type forms, public presence, and the related ideas of what lies ahead or prior.
- daga: From and Out OfA1 — Use Hausa daga for spatial, temporal, and abstract sources, with cikin, wuri, or gare when the source relation needs to be made explicit.
- Locative Predication with Continuative FormsA1 — Locate a known Hausa subject with agreeing continuative forms such as yana, tana, and suna, including their negative and relative counterparts.
- Locative RelativesB1 — Relativize Hausa places with linked heads, invariant da, relative TAM, and either a licensed place gap or an explicit locative resumptive.