Sunansa yana cikin jerin.

His name is on the list.

Breakdown of Sunansa yana cikin jerin.

• sunan: the name
• cikin: in
• ya: he/it
• jeri: the list; sequence

Questions & Answers about Sunansa yana cikin jerin.

What does each part of Sunansa yana cikin jerin mean?

A simple breakdown is:

• sunansa = his name
• yana = is / is located
• cikin = in, inside, among
• jerin = the list / a list in this phrase

So the whole sentence means His name is in the list, which is the Hausa way to express what English often says as His name is on the list.

Why is sunansa one word?

Because Hausa often attaches a possessive ending directly to the noun.

Here:

• suna = name
• -sa = his
• the extra -n- links the noun to the possessive ending

So:

• suna
  • -n-
    • sa → sunansa

This is very common in Hausa. Similar forms are:

• sunana = my name
• sunanka = your name (to a man)
• sunanki = your name (to a woman)
• sunanta = her name

Does sunansa mean his name or her name?