Sannu, kina jin yunwa?

Hello, are you (feminine) feeling hungry?

Breakdown of Sannu, kina jin yunwa?

• ne: to be
• ji: to feel
• sannu: hello
• yunwa: the hunger

Questions & Answers about Sannu, kina jin yunwa?

What does each word in Sannu, kina jin yunwa? literally mean?

Word by word:

• Sannu – a common greeting; roughly “hi / hello / welcome / sorry (sympathy)” depending on context. Here it’s “hi”.
• kina – “you (female) are …”; it’s a subject pronoun + tense/aspect marker combined.
• jin – from the verb ji, meaning “to hear / to feel / to sense”.
• yunwa – “hunger” (a noun).

So the literal structure is something like: “Hi, you-(fem) are feeling hunger?” → “Hi, are you feeling hungry?”

Where is the English word “are” in this Hausa sentence?

Hausa usually doesn’t use a separate word for “am/is/are” like English does.

• The function of “are” is built into kina.
• ki- refers to “you (singular, female)”.
• -na here is a marker often used for a kind of progressive / continuous sense (“be doing/feeling”).

So kina jin yunwa? essentially packs “you are” and “feeling” into kina jin.

What exactly does kina mean, and why is it used here?

Kina is a subject pronoun + aspect marker combined:

• ki- = you (singular, female)
• -na = here, a marker of present/progressive aspect (“be doing/feeling something now”).

You use kina when:

• You are talking to one female, and
• You want to say she is doing / is experiencing something now.

Since we are asking “Are you (right now) feeling hungry?”, and the person addressed is female, kina is the correct form.

How would the sentence change if I am talking to a man, or to more than one person?

Change the subject marker (kina) according to the person:

• To one man:
  
  • Sannu, kana jin yunwa? – “Hi, are you (male) hungry?”
• To more than one person (you plural):
  • Sannu, kuna jin yunwa? – “Hi, are you (all) hungry?”

Summary:

• kana = you (male, singular) are …
• kina = you (female, singular) are …
• kuna = you (plural) are …

Why does Hausa use jin (“to hear/feel”) with yunwa (“hunger”)? Why not just a verb “to be hungry”?

In Hausa, physical states and feelings are often expressed using ji (“to feel, to sense, to perceive”) plus a noun for the feeling:

• jin yunwa – to feel hunger → to be hungry
• jin ƙishirwa – to feel thirst → to be thirsty
• jin zafi – to feel heat/pain → to feel hot / feel pain

So jin yunwa literally means “to feel hunger”, which corresponds to English “to be hungry.” That’s why jin appears in the sentence.

Is yunwa a noun or an adjective? Can it stand alone?

Yunwa is a noun, meaning “hunger.”

Common patterns:

• With ji:
  
  • Ina jin yunwa. – “I am feeling hunger / I’m hungry.”
  • Kina jin yunwa? – “Are you (fem.) hungry?”
• With da:
  
  • Ina da yunwa. – “I have hunger / I’m hungry.”

Alone, yunwa is just “hunger”:

• Yunwa ce ta sa ni cin abinci. – “It was hunger that made me eat.”

What is the difference between kina jin yunwa? and kina da yunwa?

Both can be used to ask about hunger, but they differ slightly in structure:

1. Kina jin yunwa?

   • Literally: “Are you feeling hunger?”
   • Uses jin + noun for the sensation.
   • Very natural and common.

2. Kina da yunwa?

   • Literally: “Do you have hunger?”
   • Uses da (“with/have”) plus the noun.
   • Also understandable; may be heard, but the jin + yunwa pattern is more idiomatic for “being hungry.”

In most everyday speech, kina jin yunwa? (or kana/kuna jin yunwa?) is the most typical way to say “Are you hungry?”

How do I answer this question positively and negatively?

Some natural replies:

Positive:

• Eh, ina jin yunwa. – “Yes, I’m hungry.”
• Eh, sosai ma. – “Yes, very much.” (said after the question)

Negative:

• A’a, ban jin yunwa ba. – “No, I’m not hungry.”
  • ba- … -ba is the standard negation frame.
  • ban = ba + ina (I am not / I do not).
• More informal/short:
  • A’a, ba na jin yunwa. – same meaning, slightly different spelling of the contraction.
  • You can also just say: A’a, ba yunwa. (“No, no hunger.”) in very casual context.

How is the question indicated in Hausa—do I need a special question word or particle?

In this sentence:

• There is no special question particle; the structure is the same as a statement.
• Question-ness is shown by:
  • Intonation (rising pitch at the end when spoken).
  • Question mark “?” when written.

Statement vs question:

• Kina jin yunwa. – “You are hungry.” (flat or falling intonation)
• Kina jin yunwa? – “Are you hungry?” (rising intonation, question mark)

You can optionally add a question tag like ko? in some contexts, but it’s not needed here.

Can I add the explicit pronoun ke (“you”) in this sentence?

Yes, but it changes the focus and sounds more emphatic:

• Neutral: Kina jin yunwa? – “Are you hungry?”
• Focused/emphatic: Ke kina jin yunwa? – “YOU are hungry?” / “Are YOU (in particular) hungry?”

In normal, neutral conversation, just Kina jin yunwa? is preferred. Hausa often drops separate subject pronouns because the subject is already built into forms like kina, kana, suna, etc.

Is Sannu always used for “hi,” or can it mean other things?

Sannu is versatile and very common:

1. As a greeting:

   • Sannu. – “Hi / Hello.” (often to one person)
   • Sannunku. – plural/respectful: “Hello (you all / sir/ma).”

2. To show sympathy or encouragement:

   • To someone working hard, tired, sick, or in difficulty:
     • Sannu da aiki. – “Well done with the work.”
     • Sannu, Allah ya ba ka lafiya. – “Sorry/May God give you health.”

In Sannu, kina jin yunwa?, it works as a friendly “Hi,” then the question follows.

Is this a formal or informal way to say “Are you hungry?”

It is informal and friendly, suitable for:

• Friends
• Family members
• Children
• Peers

For more polite / respectful speech, you might:

• Use the plural/respect form kuna even for one respected person:
  • Sannu, kuna jin yunwa? – “Hello, are you (sir/ma) hungry?”
• Or add a polite title:
  • Sannu ranki ya daɗe, kina jin yunwa? – to a respected woman.
  • Sannu ranka ya daɗe, kana jin yunwa? – to a respected man.

But among equals or in casual situations, Sannu, kina jin yunwa? is perfectly appropriate (to a woman).