Second Person Objects ka and ki | Hausa Grammar

When one person is the direct object, Hausa identifies that person's gender: ka means “you” to one male, while ki means “you” to one female. English you hides this contrast, but Hausa requires it in ordinary speech: na gan ka to a man or boy, na gan ki to a woman or girl.

All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ka and ki are written as separate words immediately after the verb. Plural ku addresses two or more people of any gender and is treated on the plural-object page.

The singular contrast

Addressee	Direct object	Example
one male	ka	na kira ka “I called you”
one female	ki	na kira ki “I called you”
two or more people	ku	na kira ku “I called you all”

Na gan ka a layin banki jiya.

I saw you in the bank queue yesterday. (one male)

Na gan ki a layin banki jiya.

I saw you in the bank queue yesterday. (one female)

Mun jira ka kusa da ƙofar makaranta.

We waited for you near the school gate. (one male)

Mun jira ki kusa da ƙofar makaranta.

We waited for you near the school gate. (one female)

The gender contrast describes the singular addressee, not the speaker. A woman speaking to one man uses ka; a man speaking to one woman uses ki.

💡

Tie the form to the listener: one male ka, one female ki, more than one ku. The speaker's gender never changes these object forms.

One English you, several Hausa series

The correct Hausa form depends on function as well as gender.

Function	One male	One female
Independent / contrastive	kai	ke
Plain completive subject	ka	kin
Direct object	ka	ki
Recipient / beneficiary	maka	miki
Possessive after littafi	littafinka	littafinki

Masculine ka occurs in both the plain completive subject and direct-object series. Position distinguishes them: preverbal ka in ka gan ta means “you saw her,” while postverbal ka in ta gan ka means “she saw you.” Feminine forms make the contrast visible: subject kin versus object ki.

Kai ka gaishe ta, ita kuma ta gaishe ka.

You greeted her, and she greeted you. (one male, contrastive)

Ke kin gaishe shi, shi kuma ya gaishe ki.

You greeted him, and he greeted you. (one female, contrastive)

Initial kai/ke are independent pronouns. Preverbal ka/kin are completive subject forms. Final ka/ki are direct objects. Hausa is not freely swapping synonyms for English you; each form occupies a grammatical slot.

The object follows its verb

In a neutral clause, ka/ki directly follows the verb, before ordinary place and time expressions.

Zan kira ka da zarar na koma gida.

I will call you as soon as I return home. (one male)

Zan kira ki bayan na isa gida.

I will call you after I get home. (one female)

Likita zai duba ka da safe.

The doctor will examine you in the morning. (one male)

Likita zai duba ki da safe.

The doctor will examine you in the morning. (one female)

Ban manta da kai ba; zan same ka gobe.

I haven't forgotten you; I will meet you tomorrow. (one male)

The phrase da kai requires the independent form after the preposition-like da, whereas same ka takes a direct object after the verb. This is a minimal reminder that English “you” does not predict one Hausa form.

Named subjects still take subject–TAM markers

An overt noun subject coexists with the preverbal marker.

Subject	Subject–TAM	Verb	Object
Amina	ta	kira	ka
Bello	ya	gan	ki
’Yan sanda	sun	tsayar	ka

Amina ta kira ka domin ta tabbatar da lokaci.

Amina called you to confirm the time. (one male)

Bello ya gan ki kina shiga kasuwa.

Bello saw you entering the market. (one female)

In Amina ta kira ka, ta marks a feminine singular completive subject and ka is the masculine singular object. In Bello ya gan ki, ya marks a masculine singular subject and ki the feminine addressee as object. Gender can therefore be marked independently on both sides of the verb.

After Grade 2 verbs

Grade 2 verbs use their -e frame before either singular object pronoun. Compare nemi before a noun with neme ka/ki before a pronoun.

Na nemi manaja amma ban same shi ba.

I looked for the manager but did not find him.

Na neme ka a ofis sau biyu.

I looked for you at the office twice. (one male)

Na neme ki a ɗakin karatu sau biyu.

I looked for you in the library twice. (one female)

Za mu ɗauke ka daga gida da ƙarfe bakwai.

We will pick you up from home at seven. (one male)

Za mu ɗauke ki daga gida da ƙarfe bakwai.

We will pick you up from home at seven. (one female)

Do not change ka or ki because the verb is Grade 2. The verb changes: nema → neme, ɗauka → ɗauke before a pronoun object.

Direct objects versus recipients

Use ka/ki when the addressee is directly seen, called, found, examined, or taken. Use maka/miki when the addressee receives or benefits from something else.

Mai aikin ya kira ka.

The worker called you. (one male direct object)

Mai aikin ya gyara maka keken.

The worker repaired the bicycle for you. (one male beneficiary)

Ta zaɓe ki domin wannan aiki.

She selected you for this work. (one female direct object)

Ta aiko miki da bayanan aikin.

She sent you the job details. (one female recipient)

The presence of another noun object often helps: keken is what was repaired; the male addressee is its beneficiary. But meaning, not English word order alone, determines the distinction.

Practice: choose ka, ki, kai, ke, maka, or miki

Kai ne za mu jira a tashar, ba ɗan’uwanka ba.

It is you we will wait for at the station, not your brother. (one male, focused)

Here kai is independent and focused. In the neutral order the object is ka:

Za mu jira ka a tashar har ka iso.

We will wait for you at the station until you arrive. (one male)

Ke ce za mu tambaya da farko.

It is you we will ask first. (one female, focused)

Za mu tambaye ki da farko.

We will ask you first. (one female, neutral object)

Na kawo maka abinci, amma na kawo miki ruwa.

I brought food for you (male), but I brought water for you (female).

The final example has recipients, so maka/miki is required rather than direct ka/ki.

Common Mistakes

1. Using one form for every singular addressee.

❌ Na kira ka jiya.

Incorrect if speaking to one female — ka marks a male object.

✅ Na kira ki jiya.

I called you yesterday. (one female)

2. Using independent kai as a neutral object.

❌ Mun gan kai a wajen taro.

Incorrect in neutral word order — kai is independent.

✅ Mun gan ka a wajen taro.

We saw you at the meeting venue. (one male)

3. Using feminine subject kin as an object.

❌ Malamar ta tambaye kin.

Incorrect — kin is a completive subject form.

✅ Malamar ta tambaye ki.

The teacher asked you. (one female; Grade 2 verb)

4. Dropping the marker after a noun subject.

❌ Haruna same ki a asibiti.

Incorrect — Haruna requires masculine singular completive ya.

✅ Haruna ya same ki a asibiti.

Haruna met you at the hospital. (one female)

5. Using a direct object for a beneficiary.

❌ Zan saye ka littafi.

Incorrect for ‘I will buy you a book’ — the male addressee is the beneficiary.

✅ Zan saya maka littafi.

I will buy you a book. (one male beneficiary)

Key Takeaways

Direct-object ka addresses one male; ki addresses one female; plural ku has no gender contrast.
The addressee's gender, not the speaker's, determines ka versus ki.
Independent kai/ke, subject ka/kin, direct ka/ki, recipient maka/miki, and possessive forms are separate series.
A named subject still takes its own subject–TAM marker: Amina ta kira ka, Bello ya gan ki.
Grade 2 verbs use the -e frame before both forms: neme ka, neme ki.

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