Hausa independent possessives correspond to English mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs: nawa, naka, taka, nasa, nata, namu, naku, nasu, and their feminine counterparts. They encode two kinds of information at once. Initial na- versus ta- agrees with the possessed item; the rest identifies the owner.
All unlabelled forms are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). The forms are written as one word. Ordinary boko does not show their lexical tone or vowel length.
Two agreement decisions in one word
Use the na- column for a masculine singular item or a plural set. Use the ta- column for a feminine singular item. Then choose the ending for the owner.
| Owner | Masculine singular or plural item | Feminine singular item |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | nawa | tawa |
| 2nd masculine singular | naka | taka |
| 2nd feminine singular | naki | taki |
| 3rd masculine singular | nasa | tasa |
| 3rd feminine singular | nata | tata |
| 1st plural | namu | tamu |
| 2nd plural | naku | taku |
| 3rd plural | nasu | tasu |
Wannan littafi nawa ne.
This book is mine.
Wannan mota tawa ce.
This car is mine.
Waɗannan littattafai namu ne.
These books are ours.
The owner is first-person in all three examples. The item changes from masculine littafi to feminine mota to plural littattafai, so “mine/ours” changes between na- and ta-. The copula also follows the referent: ne for masculine/plural identification, ce for feminine singular identification.
This two-way item agreement grows out of the same linker contrast taught for short masculine and plural possessives and short feminine possessives.
Masculine and plural na-forms
The same na-form can stand for one masculine item or multiple items. Context and the antecedent provide number.
Wane littafi ne naka? — Wannan naka ne.
Which book is yours (one male)? — This one is yours.
Waɗanne takardu ne naka? — Waɗannan biyun naka ne.
Which documents are yours (one male)? — These two are yours.
Musa ya ɗauki nasa, ni kuma na ɗauki nawa.
Musa took his, and I took mine. (masculine items)
Ɗaliban sun tattara littattafansu; Ali ya ɗauki nasa, su kuma suka ɗauki nasu.
The students gathered their books; Ali took his, and they took theirs.
In the last two examples, nasa/nasu replace an understood masculine or plural noun. They are not subject pronouns: the clauses still contain ya or suka as subject–TAM markers.
The second- and third-person singular endings preserve the owner’s gender:
Littafin naka ne ko naki?
Is the book yours (male owner) or yours (female owner)?
Wannan nasa ne, wancan kuma nata ne.
This one is his, while that one is hers. (masculine items)
English yours hides the addressee’s gender, but Hausa naka/naki makes it visible. Similarly, nasa/nata distinguishes his from hers while both keep na- for the possessed item.
Feminine ta-forms
When the understood or identified item is feminine singular, use the ta-column.
Wace mota ce taka?
Which car is yours? (one male owner)
Wannan jaka taki ce, ko?
This bag is yours, right? (one female owner)
Motar tasa ce, amma babur ɗin nasa ne.
The car is his, but the motorcycle is his.
Amina ta ɗauki tata; Hauwa kuma ta bar tata a gida.
Amina took hers; Hauwa left hers at home. (feminine items)
Wannan ƙofa tamu ce, waccan kuma tasu ce.
This door is ours, while that one is theirs.
In taka, the initial ta- tells you that the possessed item is feminine, while -ka tells you that its owner is one male addressee. This form must not be confused with the verb taka “step on,” whose grammatical surroundings are different.
Independent forms versus short joined possessives
Use a short possessive when the noun itself is expressed: littafina “my book,” motarka “your car.” Use the independent form when the possessed noun is omitted or the possessive is predicated as “is mine/yours.”
| With an expressed noun | Independent | English |
|---|---|---|
| littafina | nawa | my book / mine |
| motata | tawa | my car / mine |
| littafinka | naka | your book / yours (male owner) |
| motarka | taka | your car / yours (male owner) |
| takardunsu | nasu | their documents / theirs |
Littafina yana kan tebur; naka yana cikin jaka.
My book is on the table; yours is in the bag. (to one male)
Motata ta lalace, saboda haka zan hau tasu.
My car broke down, so I will ride in theirs.
Mun kawo takardunmu, amma su ba su kawo nasu ba.
We brought our documents, but they did not bring theirs.
The independent form prevents needless repetition, but only when the missing head is recoverable. If several nouns of different genders are active, repeat the noun or use a demonstrative so that na-/ta- has an unambiguous referent.
Long possessives with an expressed head
The same forms can appear in an expanded construction before an expressed noun, often with an “own” or contrastive force. This is distinct from the compact short form.
Kowa ya rubuta sunansa a nasa littafin.
Each person wrote their name in their own book.
Kowace ƙungiya ta taru a nata ɗakin da safe.
Each group met in its own room in the morning.
Mu za mu bi namu tsarin; su kuma su bi nasu tsarin.
We will follow our own plan; they should follow their own plan.
These long forms make the possessor more structurally visible. They are not a license to separate short forms: compact “his book” remains littafinsa, not littafi n sa. In ordinary unmarked possession, the short joined form is often the economical choice.
Independent possession and full noun possessors
Hausa can also build an independent genitival phrase from na/ta plus a name or noun phrase.
Wannan na Musa ne; waccan ta Amina ce.
This one is Musa’s; that one is Amina’s.
The initial form still agrees with the item: masculine wannan takes na Musa, feminine waccan takes ta Amina. This pattern shows the linker basis of the pronominal forms: na + wa → nawa, ta + ka → taka, and so on, while standard spelling writes each pronominal result as one word.
Nawa “mine” versus nawa “how many”
Ordinary boko writes possessive nawa and interrogative nawa alike. Syntax disambiguates them.
Wannan littafi nawa ne.
This book is mine.
Littattafai nawa ka saya?
How many books did you buy?
The possessive belongs to a copular identification and can replace an owned item. Interrogative nawa asks for a number after a count noun. Tone distinguishes the forms in speech, but house style does not add tone marks to ordinary boko examples; construction and context must guide the reader.
Keep subject, object, recipient, and possessor series apart
Ita ta ba shi nata.
She gave him hers. (masculine or plural possessed item)
Here ita is independent, ta is the feminine completive subject marker, shi is the recipient form exceptionally selected by ba “give,” and nata is an independent possessive “hers.” None is an optional expansion of another.
Amina ta kawo mana tata, mu kuma mun ba ta tamu.
Amina brought us hers, and we gave her ours. (feminine items)
The overt subject Amina still requires ta. Mana means “to us” after kawo, whereas exceptional ba uses short recipient ta “to her”; tata/tamu refer to feminine possessed items.
Practice Exercises
Choose the form that agrees with both item and owner.
littafi + mine → nawa
mine, referring to a book
mota + yours (one male) → taka
yours, referring to a car
takardu + theirs → nasu
theirs, referring to documents
jaka + ours → tamu
ours, referring to a bag
Common Mistakes
1. Ignoring the possessed item’s gender
❌ Wannan mota nawa ne.
Incorrect—the feminine item requires tawa and ce.
✅ Wannan mota tawa ce.
This car is mine.
2. Ignoring the owner’s gender
❌ Wannan littafi naka ne.
Incorrect if the owner addressed is one woman.
✅ Wannan littafi naki ne.
This book is yours. (to one woman)
3. Using a feminine form for a plural antecedent
❌ Waɗannan takardu tasu ne.
Incorrect—plural takardu selects the na-series.
✅ Waɗannan takardu nasu ne.
These documents are theirs.
4. Replacing a short possessive mechanically
❌ Wannan littafi nawa littafi ne.
Incorrect repetition of an independent possessive and its head.
✅ Wannan littafi nawa ne.
This book is mine.
5. Dropping the preverbal marker after a noun subject
❌ Musa ɗauki nasa.
Incorrect as an ordinary completive clause.
✅ Musa ya ɗauki nasa.
Musa took his.
Key Takeaways
- Na- agrees with a masculine singular or plural possessed item; ta- agrees with a feminine singular item.
- The endings identify the owner: -wa, -ka, -ki, -sa, -ta, -mu, -ku, -su.
- Use short joined forms with an expressed noun (littafina, motarsu) and independent forms when the noun is omitted or possession is predicated (nawa, tasu).
- Second- and third-person singular forms preserve the owner’s gender: naka/naki, nasa/nata.
- Context separates possessive nawa “mine” from interrogative nawa “how many.”
Related Topics
- First Person Possessives -na and -taB1 — Choose Hausa -na after masculine and plural heads and irregular -ta after feminine singular heads to express first-person singular possession.
- 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 Pronouns: Full ParadigmA1 — Learn the eight free personal-pronoun forms and distinguish them from Hausa subject–TAM, object, indirect-object, and possessive forms.
- Independent Pronouns in Copular SentencesA1 — Build Hausa identity and classification sentences with independent pronouns, ne or ce, and the correct masculine, feminine, or plural agreement.
- Standalone Demonstrative PronounsA1 — Use Hausa demonstratives without an expressed noun while preserving gender, number, distance, and the discourse contrast between the intended referents.