Hausa has two short forms for “my”: -na after masculine singular and plural nouns, but -ta after feminine singular nouns. Thus gidana is “my house,” motocina “my cars,” and motata “my car.” The speaker’s sex does not affect the choice. Agreement is with the thing possessed, a distinction that English my does not show.
All ordinary examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). The possessive is joined to the noun in both informal messages and formal writing; the hyphens in this page’s title display the bound forms for analysis, not standard word division.
The three-way pattern
The most useful compact paradigm contrasts the grammatical class of the possessed head.
| Possessed head | Bare noun | My... | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | gida “house” | gida + -na | gidana |
| feminine singular | mota “car” | mota + -ta | motata |
| plural | motoci “cars” | motoci + -na | motocina |
Gidana yana kusa da tashar mota.
My house is near the bus station.
Motata tana wajen gyara tun jiya.
My car has been at the repair shop since yesterday.
Motocina suna bayan ginin.
My cars are behind the building.
These forms expose two layers. Masculine and plural heads normally use the genitive n-series, while feminine singular heads normally use an r-series. In the first-person singular possessive, however, feminine r does not surface: the conventional form is -ta. There is no fully regular shortcut that generates motara and makes it standard later. Learn motata as part of the paradigm.
The broader contrasts appear in the pages on masculine and plural possessives and feminine possessives.
-na after masculine singular heads
The exact surface form depends on the noun’s linked shape. The first-person ending follows that structure as one written word.
| Noun | First-person possessive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gida | gidana | my house |
| littafi | littafina | my book |
| tebur | teburina | my table |
| suna | sunana | my name |
| hannu | hannuna | my hand |
Littafina yana hannun Amina.
My book is with Amina.
Na bar wayata a kan teburina.
I left my phone on my table.
Sunana yana ƙarshen jerin.
My name is at the end of the list.
Hannuna yana ciwo bayan na ɗauki akwatin.
My hand hurts after I carried the box.
With consonant-final tebur, the form contains a joining vowel: teburina. This is why learners should know a noun’s linked form rather than blindly attach the visible letters na to the citation form.
-ta after feminine singular heads
The feminine first-person forms must be memorized distinctly from the other feminine possessives.
| Noun | First-person possessive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mota | motata | my car |
| jaka | jakata | my bag |
| takarda | takardata | my document |
| ƙofa | ƙofata | my door |
| uwa | uwata | my mother |
Na manta jakata a ofis.
I forgot my bag at the office.
Takardata ta samu hatimi da safe.
My document received a stamp this morning.
Uwata tana son shayi mara sukari.
My mother likes tea without sugar.
Na rufe ƙofata kafin na kwanta.
I closed my door before going to bed.
The special kinship expression matata means “my wife.” It belongs with the possessed stem matar-, as in matar Audu “Audu’s wife.” Do not generalize that stem to every use of mace: macen remains the definite form “the woman,” and macen Audu can have the different reading “Audu’s woman.”
Matata za ta dawo daga aiki da yamma.
My wife will return from work in the evening.
Plural heads return to -na
All plural nouns use the n-series, even when their singular is feminine.
Takarduna suna cikin wannan fayil ɗin.
My documents are in this file.
Jakunkunana sun yi nauyi saboda littattafan.
My bags became heavy because of the books.
Ƙofofina suna buƙatar sabon fenti.
My doors need new paint.
Compare singular feminine takardata with plural takarduna, and jakata with jakunkunana. The owner remains the same first-person speaker. Only the number of the possessed head changes.
Bound -na/-ta versus free na/ta
The joined possessives are parts of noun words: gidana, motata. Hausa also has free longer genitival elements na for masculine/plural reference and ta for feminine reference in independent or expanded constructions. They are related to possession but do not justify splitting a short possessive.
Wannan littafin nawa ne; wannan motar tawa ce.
This book is mine; this car is mine.
In nawa/tawa, the possessive stands independently and agrees with the omitted or identified item. In littafina/motata, the noun is expressed and the short form is joined. English uses my before a noun and mine without one; Hausa distinguishes them through both form and word structure.
Do not mechanically replace compact gidan Musa with gida na Musa. Full noun possessors normally use the short joined linker, while longer genitival constructions have their own syntax and discourse uses.
Homographs: na and ta do several jobs
Spaces and syntactic position distinguish identical spellings.
Na ɗauki jakata.
I took my bag.
The separate preverbal Na is the first-person singular completive subject–TAM marker. Final -ta inside jakata means “my” after a feminine noun.
Amina ta ɗauki jakata, sannan ta mayar mini da ita.
Amina took my bag, then returned it to me.
The first two separate instances of ta are third-person feminine subject markers. -ta in jakata is first-person possession. Final ita is an independent/object-like feminine reference after the prepositional expression. Similar spelling does not imply the same grammatical feature.
Compare a cluster of first-person forms:
Ni na tsaya a ofis; Musa kuma ya kawo mini littafina daga gidana.
I stayed at the office; Musa brought me my book from my house.
Ni is independent, na is subject–TAM, mini is indirect/benefactive, and -na in gidana is possessive. Hausa does not use one universal equivalent of English I/me/my.
Practice Exercises
Choose -na or -ta and give the joined word.
littafi → littafina
my book
mota → motata
my car
motoci → motocina
my cars
takarda → takardata
my document
takardu → takarduna
my documents
Common Mistakes
1. Using invariant -na after every noun
❌ motana
Incorrect for ‘my car’ in Nigerian Standard Hausa.
✅ motata
my car
2. Extending feminine -r to first-person singular
❌ jakara
Incorrect for ‘my bag.’
✅ jakata
my bag
3. Keeping -ta after a plural head
❌ takarduta
Incorrect for ‘my documents’—plurals use the n-series.
✅ takarduna
my documents
4. Separating the bound possessive
❌ gida na
Incorrect standard spelling for the short form ‘my house.’
✅ gidana
my house
5. Letting the speaker’s gender control the suffix
❌ gidata
Incorrect even when the speaker is female—the head gida is masculine.
✅ gidana
my house, said by any speaker
Key Takeaways
- Use -na after masculine singular and plural heads: gidana, motocina.
- Use special -ta after feminine singular heads: motata, jakata, takardata.
- The possessed noun controls the form; the speaker’s gender does not.
- Bound possessives are joined, while independent “mine” forms are nawa/tawa.
- Separate na/ta subject markers and joined possessive -na/-ta are grammatical homographs, not one interchangeable pronoun.
Related Topics
- Possessive Pronouns after Masculine and Plural NounsB1 — Build joined Hausa possessives such as gidanka, littafinta, motocinmu, and takardunsu with the n-series selected by masculine and plural heads.
- Possessive Pronouns after Feminine NounsB1 — Build the Hausa feminine-head possessive series, including motata, motarka, motarki, motarsa, motarta, motarmu, motarku, and motarsu.
- Independent Possessives nawa, taka, and nasuB1 — Use Hausa nawa/tawa, naka/taka, and the full independent possessive paradigm with agreement for both the possessed item and its owner.
- 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.
- The Feminine Genitive Linker -rA2 — Use joined -r after the appropriate a-final feminine singular head, while recognizing its phonological limits and possessive allomorphs.
- ni and kai: First and Second Person SingularA1 — Use independent ni and masculine-singular kai for contrast and identification without confusing them with subject, object, recipient, or possessive forms.