مين هو؟

Usually as mīn huwwa?

A lot of learners also hear it as mīn howwa? because the vowel in هو can sound a bit like o in Egyptian speech.

• مين = meen
• هو = huwwa / howwa

So the whole thing is roughly meen HUW-wa?

There is no separate word for is here.

In Arabic, the present-tense verb to be is usually not said in sentences like this. So the structure is more like:

who + he

Even though English needs who is he?, Egyptian Arabic can simply say مين هو؟

Yes. هو is the masculine pronoun he.

So the sentence is literally built around مين + هو = who + he.

It does not mean is by itself. It is there because you are asking about the identity of a male person.

Yes.

مين؟ simply means who? and is very common when the context is obvious.

For example:

• someone knocks at the door → مين؟
• someone points to a person → مين؟

Adding هو makes it more explicit: you are asking who is he?

هو مين؟ is also possible in Egyptian Arabic.

Both can mean the same basic thing, but the focus is a little different:

• مين هو؟ = a straightforward who is he?
• هو مين؟ = often feels like and who is he? / who is that guy?

In real conversation, both can occur. The difference is mostly one of emphasis and flow, not a big change in meaning.

مين is the normal Egyptian Arabic word for who.

من is the Modern Standard Arabic form, used in formal Arabic, writing, news, school grammar, and so on.

So:

• Egyptian colloquial: مين هو؟
• Modern Standard Arabic: مَن هو؟

If you are learning everyday Egyptian speech, مين is the one you want.

You would say مين هي؟

The question word مين stays the same. Only the pronoun changes:

• masculine: مين هو؟
• feminine: مين هي؟

هي is pronounced roughly hiyya.

No. مين itself does not change.

It can be used regardless of whether you are asking about:

• a man
• a woman
• one person
• more than one person

What may change is the pronoun or the rest of the sentence, not مين itself.

مين هو؟ is correct, but in many everyday situations Egyptians often use other very common patterns, especially when pointing to someone.

For example:

• مين ده؟ = who is this/that? for a male
• مين دي؟ = who is this/that? for a female

So if you are looking at someone and asking who they are, مين ده؟ can sound more natural than مين هو؟ in many contexts.

Yes, basically.

مين is used for who, so it is for people.

If you are asking about a thing, you would usually use إيه:

• إيه ده؟ = what is this/that?

So مين هو؟ is for asking about a person, not an object.

It is colloquial and normal for Egyptian Arabic conversation.

If you want the formal or Standard Arabic version, you would use مَن هو؟

So a simple way to think about it is:

• مين هو؟ = everyday Egyptian speech
• مَن هو؟ = formal / Standard Arabic

A few natural answers would be:

• هو أحمد = he is Ahmed
• هو صاحبي = he is my friend
• هو الدكتور الجديد = he is the new doctor

If the person is present or being pointed at, Egyptians also very often answer with ده:

• ده أحمد

So the reply depends on the situation, but both pronoun-based and ده-based answers are common.