Hindi builds third-person possessives from the oblique demonstrative stems इस- is-, उस- us-, इन- in-, and उन- un- plus agreeing का/की/के. Thus इसका iskā can mean “his,” “her,” or “its” for a nearby or discourse-accessible singular possessor; उसका uskā gives the corresponding distal form. The plural forms are इनका inkā and उनका unkā.
English distinguishes his from her but does not usually mark proximity. Hindi does the reverse here: the possessive marks proximal versus distal and singular versus plural or honorific reference, while the possessor's gender is not encoded. The ending agrees with the thing possessed.
Possessor and possessed item contribute different information
| Possessor | Masculine singular possessed | Feminine possessed | Masculine plural/oblique possessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| proximal singular यह → इस- | इसका iskā | इसकी iskī | इसके iske |
| distal singular वह → उस- | उसका uskā | उसकी uskī | उसके uske |
| proximal plural/honorific ये → इन- | इनका inkā | इनकी inkī | इनके inke |
| distal plural/honorific वे → उन- | उनका unkā | उनकी unkī | उनके unke |
यह आरव है; इसका कमरा ऊपर है और इसकी साइकिल बाहर खड़ी है।
yah ārav hai; iskā kamrā ūpar hai aur iskī sāikil bāhar khaṛī hai.
This is Aarav; his room is upstairs, and his bicycle is parked outside.
वे नए पड़ोसी हैं; उनके बच्चे इसी स्कूल में पढ़ते हैं।
ve nae paṛosī haiṃ; unke bacce isī skūl meṃ paṛhte haiṃ.
They are the new neighbors; their children attend this same school.
In the first example, one proximal male person is the possessor, but इसका/इसकी would have exactly the same forms for one proximal female person or an inanimate object. कमरा chooses masculine -का; साइकिल chooses feminine -की. In the second, plural distal वे supplies the possessor stem उन-, and plural बच्चे selects -के.
Direct demonstratives do not take का directly
The direct forms are यह/वह/ये/वे, but possession uses their oblique stems. Hindi does not form standard possessives by adding का to the direct citation form.
वह नंदिनी है और उसका घर नदी के पास है।
vah nandinī hai aur uskā ghar nadī ke pās hai.
That is Nandini, and her house is near the river.
ये मेरे सहकर्मी हैं; इनकी टीम ने पुरस्कार जीता है।
ye mere sahkarmī haiṃ; inkī ṭīm ne puraskār jītā hai.
These are my colleagues; their team has won an award.
Contemporary informal speech often uses direct ये ye and वो vo for singular people. The possessive nevertheless normally reveals ordinary singular reference as इसका/उसका. Respectful singular reference can instead select plural/honorific इनका/उनका, discussed below. See oblique demonstrative stems for the larger case system.
Case agreement inside the possessed phrase
Like other का possessives, these forms agree with the possessed noun. Masculine singular direct -का becomes -के when the whole possessed phrase is oblique before a postposition.
मैं उसके छोटे भाई से कल मिला।
maĩ uske choṭe bhāī se kal milā.
I met his or her younger brother yesterday. (male speaker)
इसकी नई दुकान के सामने बस रुकती है।
iskī naī dukān ke sāmne bas ruktī hai.
The bus stops in front of his, her, or its new shop.
भाई is masculine singular but oblique before से, so उसका छोटा भाई becomes उसके छोटे भाई से. Feminine इसकी नई दुकान keeps -ई when followed by के सामने.
Plural forms can mark respect for one person
इनका/उनका do not always mean that the possessor is literally plural. With a respected singular third person, Hindi can use plural/honorific ये/वे, oblique इन-/उन-, and plural verb agreement.
ये प्रोफ़ेसर वर्मा हैं; इनका व्याख्यान ग्यारह बजे शुरू होगा।
ye profesar varmā haiṃ; inkā vyākhyān gyārah baje śurū hogā.
This is Professor Verma; his lecture will begin at eleven. (respectful singular reference)
वे डॉक्टर सेन हैं; उनकी सलाह हमारे लिए बहुत उपयोगी रही।
ve ḍokṭar sen haiṃ; unkī salāh hamāre lie bahut upyogī rahī.
That is Dr. Sen; her advice was very useful to us. (respectful singular reference)
The professor and doctor are each one person. Honorificity appears in ये/वे... हैं and इनका/उनकी. The possessed nouns still control the possessive ending: masculine व्याख्यान selects इनका, feminine सलाह selects उनकी.
This is a grammatical option shaped by stance and context, not a compulsory ranking attached to every profession. Names with जी, kinship terms, and respected referents often favor it, but speakers' practices vary.
Neutral and respectful minimal pair
यह रोहित है; इसका पहचान-पत्र तैयार है।
yah rohit hai; iskā pahcān-patr taiyār hai.
This is Rohit; his identity card is ready. (neutral singular reference)
ये रोहित जी हैं; इनका पहचान-पत्र तैयार है।
ye rohit jī haiṃ; inkā pahcān-patr taiyār hai.
This is Mr. Rohit; his identity card is ready. (respectful singular reference)
The object पहचान-पत्र remains singular in both. What changes is the social number of the person referred to: यह... है/इसका versus ये... हैं/इनका. Hindi honorificity therefore affects third-person reference as well as direct address.
Demonstrative possessive versus अपना
उसका normally points to a possessor distinct from the local clause subject. When the subject possesses its own item, use reflexive अपना.
कविता ने अपना बैग खोला, लेकिन उसमें उसकी बहन का फ़ोन था।
kavitā ne apnā baig kholā, lekin usmeṃ uskī bahan kā fon thā.
Kavita opened her own bag, but her sister's phone was in it.
अपना points back to subject Kavita. उसकी बहन identifies a third-person relation; within उसकी बहन का फ़ोन, का links the phone to the sister. If कविता ने उसका बैग खोला were used, the default reading would be that Kavita opened someone else's bag.
English her permits either coreference or a different woman. Hindi often makes that contrast explicit through अपना versus उसका.
A dialogue: deixis, relationship, and number
अमन: वह बच्चा कौन है? लीना: वह मेरा भतीजा है; उसका नाम नील है। अमन: और वे लोग? लीना: वे उसके माता-पिता हैं; उनकी गाड़ी बाहर है।
aman: vah baccā kaun hai? līnā: vah merā bhatījā hai; uskā nām nīl hai. aman: aur ve log? līnā: ve uske mātā-pitā haiṃ; unkī gāṛī bāhar hai.
Aman: Who is that child? Leena: He's my nephew; his name is Neel. Aman: And those people? Leena: They're his parents; their car is outside.
Singular distal वह leads to उसका/उसके. Plural वे लोग leads to उनकी. The speakers address each other familiarly, but the third-person possessive system follows the people being discussed, not the addressees' relationship.
Do not use intimate तू merely because English has a plain you, and do not give singular agreement to आप. Those second-person choices are separate from the इस-/उस-/इन-/उन- system.
Common Mistakes
Adding का to a direct demonstrative
❌ यहका रंग बहुत गहरा है।
Incorrect — यह uses oblique stem इस- in a possessive.
✅ इसका रंग बहुत गहरा है।
iskā raṅg bahut gahrā hai.
Its color is very dark.
Confusing a singular possessor with plural possession
❌ उन का घर सामने है।
Incorrect for one ordinary nonhonorific distal possessor, and the possessive must be written as one word.
✅ उसका घर सामने है।
uskā ghar sāmne hai.
His or her house is right in front.
Agreeing with the possessor's gender
❌ वह महिला है, इसलिए उसकी बेटा यहाँ पढ़ता है।
Incorrect — the possessor's gender does not select the ending; masculine बेटा requires उसका.
✅ वह महिला है, और उसका बेटा यहाँ पढ़ता है।
vah mahilā hai, aur uskā beṭā yahā̃ paṛhtā hai.
She is a woman, and her son studies here.
Using उसका for the subject's own possession
❌ मोहन ने उसका बटुआ जेब में रखा।
Incorrect for the intended meaning that Mohan put his own wallet in his pocket; उसका normally points to someone else.
✅ मोहन ने अपना बटुआ जेब में रखा।
mohan ne apnā baṭuā jeb meṃ rakhā.
Mohan put his own wallet in his pocket.
Key Takeaways
- इसका/उसका have singular proximal/distal possessors; इनका/उनका have plural or honorific possessors.
- The possessive ending agrees with the possessed noun, not with the possessor.
- Direct यह/वह/ये/वे become oblique stems इस-/उस-/इन-/उन- before का.
- इनका/उनका can respectfully refer to one person alongside plural/honorific agreement.
- Use अपना when the local subject possesses its own item; use a demonstrative possessive for another owner.
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- यह वह ये वे demonstratives and pronounsA2 — Use the standard near–far and singular–plural demonstrative system यह, वह, ये, वे as determiners and pronouns, including oblique and honorific forms.
- इस उस इन उन oblique demonstrativesA2 — Map direct यह वह ये वे to singular इस उस and plural इन उन before postpositions, including honorific third-person reference.
- Colloquial ये and वो for singular referenceA2 — Understand ordinary spoken ये and वो as singular forms of यह and वह, using agreement and oblique stems to distinguish number and honorificity.
- Respectful third-person referenceB2 — Refer respectfully to one third person with plural ये or वे, plural oblique forms, and honorific agreement while preserving deixis and gender.
- Reflexive possessive अपनाB1 — Use अपना for possession that returns to a clause's subject while making it agree with the possessed noun.
- जिसका–उसका possessive relativesB1 — Connect owners across clauses with जिसका–उसका while making each possessive ending agree with the noun possessed in its own phrase.