The plural direct-object pronouns are mu “us,” ku “you all,” and su “them.” They follow the verb and do not distinguish masculine from feminine: ta kira mu “she called us,” na gan ku “I saw you all,” mun same su “we found them.”
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). The pronouns are separate written words, although they form a close phonological unit with the preceding verb. Standard boko does not mark the associated tone or vowel length. Singular gender contrasts are covered on the second-person and third-person object pages.
The three plural persons
| Person | Direct object | Who it refers to |
|---|---|---|
| 1st plural | mu | the speaker plus at least one other: us |
| 2nd plural | ku | two or more addressees: you all |
| 3rd plural | su | two or more other referents: them |
Mai gadi ya gan mu muna shiga.
The guard saw us entering.
Za mu same ku a gaban otal.
We will meet you all in front of the hotel.
Na kira su amma ba su ɗauka ba.
I called them, but they did not answer.
Mu does not grammatically distinguish inclusive “you and I” from exclusive “other people and I”; context supplies that difference. Ku covers male, female, and mixed groups. Su likewise covers animate or inanimate plural referents of any gender.
Mun jira ku, Aisha da Halima, tun ƙarfe uku.
We have been waiting for you, Aisha and Halima, since three o'clock.
Na ajiye takardun a aljihun tebur, amma ban sake ganin su ba.
I put the documents in the desk drawer, but I haven't seen them again.
The same spellings in different series
Independent and direct-object plural pronouns have the same spellings. Plain-completive subject forms, recipients, and possessives differ.
| Function | 1st plural | 2nd plural | 3rd plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent / contrastive | mu | ku | su |
| Plain completive subject | mun | kun | sun |
| Direct object | mu | ku | su |
| Recipient / beneficiary | mana | muku | musu |
| Possessive after littafi | littafinmu | littafinku | littafinsu |
Mu mun gan su, amma su ba su gan mu ba.
We saw them, but they did not see us. (contrastive)
Initial mu/su are independent pronouns. Mun and ba su…ba mark subjects and TAM. Postverbal su/mu are direct objects. Identical spelling in two cells does not make their word order interchangeable.
Ku kun kira mu, mu kuma mun kira ku.
You all called us, and we called you all. (contrastive)
Here independent ku/mu introduce contrasts; preverbal kun/mun are completive subject markers; final mu/ku are objects.
Direct placement after the verb
In neutral order, a plural object pronoun follows the verb immediately, before ordinary adjuncts.
Malamar ta gaishe mu a bakin ƙofa.
The teacher greeted us at the doorway.
Zan jira ku a nan har bayan salla.
I will wait for you all here until after the prayer.
Jami’ai sun tsayar da su kusa da gadar.
The officers stopped them near the bridge.
Likita ya duba mu ɗaya bayan ɗaya.
The doctor examined us one by one.
Mai horarwar zai zaɓe ku bayan gwajin.
The coach will select you all after the trial.
The direct object answers who was greeted, waited for, stopped, examined, or selected. Do not insert an independent form in a different position simply because English uses the same word us/you/them.
Overt subjects still require subject–TAM marking
The subject noun phrase and the preverbal subject–TAM marker are separate parts of a finite clause.
| Overt subject | Subject–TAM | Verb | Object |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shugabar | ta | kira | mu |
| Malam Musa | ya | jira | ku |
| ’Yan sanda | sun | kama | su |
Shugabar ta kira mu domin mu shiga taron.
The chairwoman called us so that we would enter the meeting.
Malam Musa ya jira ku a ƙarƙashin bishiyar.
Malam Musa waited for you all under the tree.
’Yan sanda sun kama su bayan bincike.
The police arrested them after an investigation.
In the final example, subject ’yan sanda triggers plural completive sun; object su follows kama. Dropping sun would remove the finite subject–TAM marker, not merely an optional pronoun.
Plural objects after Grade 2 verbs
Grade 2 verbs take their -e form before mu, ku, su, just as before singular object pronouns.
Mai motar ya ɗauke mu daga kasuwa.
The driver picked us up from the market.
Mun neme ku a duk harabar makarantar.
We looked for you all throughout the school grounds.
Kamfanin ya zaɓe su domin sabon aikin.
The company selected them for the new project.
Na saye su ne saboda sun fi arha.
I bought them because they were cheaper.
Compare the noun-object forms:
Mai motar ya ɗauki baƙin daga kasuwa.
The driver picked up the visitors from the market.
Na sayi takalman ne saboda sun fi arha.
I bought the shoes because they were cheaper.
Thus ɗauki baƙin / ɗauke mu and sayi takalma / saye su contrast noun objects in -i with pronoun objects in -e.
Direct objects versus recipients and possessors
Plural mu/ku/su mark direct objects. Recipient or beneficiary meanings use mana/muku/musu in the ordinary indirect series.
Shugaban ya kira mu.
The chairperson called us. (direct object)
Shugaban ya aiko mana da jadawalin.
The chairperson sent us the schedule. (recipient)
Na ga ku a hoton bikin.
I saw you all in the celebration photograph. (direct object)
Na nuna muku hoton bikin.
I showed you all the celebration photograph. (recipient/viewers)
Ta same su tare da littattafansu.
She found them with their books.
In littattafansu, the possessive ending belongs inside the noun construction. Separate su after same is the direct object. One English translation such as them/their cannot determine the Hausa form without the construction.
Practice: track person and function
Su za su raka mu, mu kuma za mu jira su.
They will accompany us, and we will wait for them. (contrastive)
Initial su/mu are independent. Future za su/za mu marks the subjects, while final mu/su are direct objects.
Ku ne muka zaɓa, kuma za mu sanar da ku gobe.
You are the ones we selected, and we will notify you all tomorrow.
The first ku is focused with ne; the final ku is a neutral postverbal object.
Sun kawo mana kujeru, sannan muka taimake su wajen shiryawa.
They brought us chairs, then we helped them with the setup.
Mana is a recipient, while final su is a direct object. This mixed example tests function rather than simple English substitution.
Common Mistakes
1. Using completive subject forms as objects.
❌ Malamar ta kira mun jiya.
Incorrect — mun is a first-person plural completive subject form.
✅ Malamar ta kira mu jiya.
The teacher called us yesterday.
2. Treating ku as masculine-only because singular ka is masculine.
❌ Na kira ki, Amina da Zainab.
Incorrect — two addressees require plural ku.
✅ Na kira ku, Amina da Zainab.
I called you, Amina and Zainab.
3. Dropping subject marking after an overt plural noun.
❌ Ma’aikatan neme su tun safe.
Incorrect — the plural subject requires completive sun.
✅ Ma’aikatan sun neme su tun safe.
The employees have looked for them since morning.
4. Using direct ku for a recipient.
❌ Zan kawo ku ruwa.
Incorrect for ‘I will bring you all water’ — the addressees are recipients.
✅ Zan kawo muku ruwa.
I will bring you all water.
5. Keeping Grade 2 -i before a pronoun.
❌ Mun nemi su a gidan baki.
Incorrect in Standard Grade 2 morphology — a pronoun object selects neme.
✅ Mun neme su a gidan baki.
We looked for them at the guesthouse.
Key Takeaways
- Mu means direct-object “us,” ku means “you all,” and su means “them.”
- Plural object pronouns do not distinguish gender; ku/su cover male, female, and mixed groups.
- Independent mu/ku/su share the object's spelling, but their syntax differs; completive subjects are mun/kun/sun.
- Recipient mana/muku/musu and possessive forms such as littafinmu/littafinku/littafinsu are separate constructions.
- A noun subject still takes a preverbal marker, and Grade 2 verbs take -e before plural pronoun objects.
Related Topics
- Direct-Object Pronouns: Core ParadigmA2 — Learn Hausa ni, ka, ki, shi, ta, mu, ku, and su as direct objects and keep them distinct from independent, subject–TAM, indirect-object, and possessive forms.
- Direct Objects after Grade 2 VerbsA2 — Use the Grade 2 ending -e before Hausa direct-object pronouns, contrasting it with -i before noun objects and -a when no object follows.
- Object Pronouns with Two-Object VerbsA2 — Order Hausa recipients before themes, choose the indirect-object series for most recipients, and learn the special pattern used with ba ‘give’.
- mu, ku, and su: Plural PersonsA1 — Distinguish independent mu, ku, and su from the plural subject–TAM, object, recipient, and possessive forms used elsewhere in the clause.
- masa, mata, mana, muku, and musuB1 — Use Hausa masa, mata, mana, muku, and musu to mark recipients, beneficiaries, and other ma-linked participants without confusing them with direct objects.
- Plain Completive PronounsA2 — Master the Hausa plain completive paradigm na, ka, kin, ya, ta, mun, kun, sun, and impersonal an for neutral completed-event clauses.