A possessive phrase with का/के/की behaves like a declinable adjectival modifier. The possessor appears before it, usually in an oblique form where that distinction is visible, but का/के/की agrees with the possessed head, not with the possessor: रीना का कमरा, रीना के कमरे, रीना की किताब.
The agreement target is the possession
| Possessed head | Possessive phrase |
|---|---|
| masculine singular direct | मोहन का नया कमरा |
| masculine plural direct | मोहन के नए कमरे |
| masculine singular oblique | मोहन के नए कमरे में |
| masculine plural oblique | मोहन के नए कमरों में |
| feminine, any number/case | मोहन की नई किताबें / किताबों में |
रीना का कमरा ऊपर है, लेकिन उसकी किताबें नीचे हैं।
rīnā kā kamrā ūpar hai, lekin uskī kitābeṃ nīce haiṃ.
Reena's room is upstairs, but her books are downstairs.
मोहन के नए कमरे में दो खिड़कियाँ हैं।
mohan ke nae kamre meṃ do khiṛkiyā̃ haiṃ.
There are two windows in Mohan's new room.
Feminine possessor रीना does not make का feminine; masculine कमरा does. Likewise, के in the second example is triggered by masculine oblique कमरे.
This rightward agreement is why का/के/की is better analyzed as an agreeing postposition than as an invariant equivalent of English of or apostrophe-s. English marks the possessor edge once; Hindi marks the relation with a form selected by the possessed expression.
Possessors with internal case
Pronouns have special possessive stems (मेरा, उसका, हमारा), while ordinary nouns and names remain before का/के/की. A plural or honorific possessor may carry oblique morphology of its own.
बच्चों की पुरानी साइकिल अब भी चलती है।
baccoṃ kī purānī sāikil ab bhī caltī hai.
The children's old bicycle still works.
मेरे माता-पिता के दोस्त आज आ रहे हैं।
mere mātā-pitā ke dost āj ā rahe haiṃ.
My parents' friends are coming today.
In बच्चों की साइकिल, बच्चों is oblique plural because it is a possessor, while की agrees with feminine साइकिल. The two agreement relations are independent.
Attributive and predicative possession
Before a noun, the phrase is attributive. After an identified noun with a copula, it can be predicative.
यह नीली छतरी सीमा की है।
yah nīlī chatrī sīmā kī hai.
This blue umbrella is Seema's.
वे दोनों बैग मेरे हैं, पर छोटा वाला तुम्हारा है।
ve donoṃ baig mere haiṃ, par choṭā vālā tumhārā hai.
Both those bags are mine, but the small one is yours. (familiar)
Predicative की/मेरे/तुम्हारा still agrees with the item possessed. It is not an invariant translation of English 's or mine.
Multiple modifiers and order
Possessive phrases usually occur before descriptive adjectives and the head: रीना की नई लाल साड़ी. Each modifier has its own agreement behavior.
मैंने अमित की लंबी काली जैकेट अलमारी में रख दी।
maĩne amit kī lambī kālī jaikeṭ almārī meṃ rakh dī.
I put Amit's long black jacket in the wardrobe.
की, लंबी, काली all target feminine जैकेट. The masculine possessor Amit controls none of them.
An embedded possessive can itself be complex:
यह मेरे पड़ोसी के छोटे बेटे की किताब है।
yah mere paṛosī ke choṭe beṭe kī kitāb hai.
This is my neighbor's younger son's book.
The agreement chain is layered: मेरे with पड़ोसी, के छोटे बेटे as an oblique possessor, then की with final feminine head किताब.
Possession is not degree
A possessive relation is not normally gradable. बहुत रीना की किताब is impossible for “very much Reena's book.” Degree belongs to a descriptive adjective inside the phrase: रीना की बहुत पुरानी किताब. Focus particles such as ही can instead restrict ownership: रीना की ही किताब “Reena's book specifically.”
यह रीना की ही पुरानी कॉपी है, मेरी नहीं।
yah rīnā kī hī purānī kopī hai, merī nahīṃ.
This is Reena's old notebook specifically, not mine.
Conventional relations beyond ownership
का/के/की also marks origin, material, type, and association: लकड़ी की मेज़ “wooden table,” दिल्ली का मौसम “Delhi's weather,” कल की बैठक “tomorrow's meeting.” The morphology remains adjectival even when English does not use a possessive.
कल की लंबी बैठक दोपहर तक चलेगी।
kal kī lambī baiṭhak dopahar tak calegī.
Tomorrow's long meeting will continue until noon.
Agreement in a ने-clause
रीना ने मोहन की नई साइकिल ख़रीदी।
rīnā ne mohan kī naī sāikil xarīdī.
Reena bought Mohan's new bicycle.
की/नई/ख़रीदी all follow unmarked feminine साइकिल where their respective syntax allows. The ने-marked buyer does not redirect agreement.
For the wider semantic range, see का/के/की possession and agreement.
Common Mistakes
❌ रीना की कमरा बड़ा है।
Incorrect—का agrees with masculine कमरा, not feminine Reena.
✅ रीना का कमरा बड़ा है।
rīnā kā kamrā baṛā hai.
Reena's room is large.
❌ मोहन का कमरे में बैठक है।
Incorrect—the possessed masculine phrase is oblique before में, so use के कमरे में.
✅ मोहन के कमरे में बैठक है।
mohan ke kamre meṃ baiṭhak hai.
The meeting is in Mohan's room.
❌ बच्चों का किताबें यहाँ हैं।
Incorrect—plural feminine किताबें requires की; बच्चों only marks the possessor.
✅ बच्चों की किताबें यहाँ हैं।
baccoṃ kī kitābeṃ yahā̃ haiṃ.
The children's books are here.
❌ सीमा ने रवि का घड़ी ख़रीदी।
Incorrect—feminine घड़ी requires की regardless of either person's gender.
✅ सीमा ने रवि की घड़ी ख़रीदी।
sīmā ne ravi kī ghaṛī xarīdī.
Seema bought Ravi's watch.
Key Takeaways
- का/के/की agrees with the possessed head, not the possessor.
- Masculine oblique and plural heads select के; feminine heads select की throughout.
- Possessive phrases work attributively and predicatively and can nest inside one another.
- Association, material, time, and origin use the same morphology as literal ownership.
Related Topics
- का के की possession and agreementA1 — Choose का, के, or की by the gender, number, and case of the possessed expression while putting noun possessors in the oblique form.
- Attributive adjectivesA2 — Place adjectives inside Hindi noun phrases, normally before the head noun, with the agreement required by the adjective's class.
- Possessive मेरा तेरा हमाराA2 — Make मेरा, तेरा, and हमारा agree with the possessed noun while distinguishing intimate ownership, plural हमारा, and reflexive अपना.
- Adjective order in noun phrasesA2 — Arrange determiners, quantities, degree phrases, descriptive adjectives, classifying modifiers, and the head noun in natural Hindi order.