Kar ku yi haka.

Don’t do that.

Breakdown of Kar ku yi haka.

• ku: you (plural)
• yi: to do
• kar: don't
• haka: like that

Questions & Answers about Kar ku yi haka.

What does Kar ku yi haka literally mean, word by word?

Broken down:

• kar – negative command marker: don’t / must not
• ku – you (plural) or you (polite) subject pronoun
• yi – do / make (verb)
• haka – like that / that way / such a thing

So literally: “Don’t you (pl.) do like that.” → natural English: “Don’t do that.”

Why is ku (you) needed? Can I just say Kar yi haka?

In standard Hausa, with kar / kada (negative command), you normally must show the subject pronoun:

• ✅ Kar ku yi haka. – Don’t (you plural) do that.
• ✅ Kar ka yi haka. – Don’t (you, one man) do that.
• ✅ Kar ki yi haka. – Don’t (you, one woman) do that.

Kar yi haka sounds incomplete or ungrammatical in normal speech, because the subject (you) is missing.

If you want a general, impersonal idea like “One must not do that / That should not be done”, you can say:

• Kar a yi haka. – Let it not be done / It must not be done (by people in general).

Is ku always plural here? Can it also be polite singular?

Yes. Ku usually means:

1. You (plural) – talking to more than one person:

   • Kar ku yi haka. – Don’t (you all) do that.

2. Polite or respectful “you” (singular) – to one person, especially in respectful situations (elder, stranger, official, etc.):

   • To a respected elder: Don Allah, kar ku yi haka.
     Literally still “you (plural)”, but socially it can be understood as polite you.

So grammatically it’s plural, but socially it can serve as a polite you to one person.

What is the singular version of Kar ku yi haka?

For one person, Hausa distinguishes male and female:

• Speaking to one man:

  • Kar ka yi haka. – Don’t (you, a man) do that.

• Speaking to one woman:

  • Kar ki yi haka. – Don’t (you, a woman) do that.

So:

• Kar ku yi haka. – Don’t (you all) do that.
• Kar ka yi haka. – Don’t (you, one man) do that.
• Kar ki yi haka. – Don’t (you, one woman) do that.

Is Kar ku yi haka rude, or is it neutral?

By itself, Kar ku yi haka is a plain negative command:

• Tone-of-voice and context decide whether it feels:
  • neutral/firm: like a normal instruction, or
  • sharp/angry: like a scolding.

To make it softer / more polite, people often add phrases like:

• Don Allah, kar ku yi haka. – Please, don’t do that.
• Dan Allah, kar ku yi haka. – Same meaning (common variant).

So the sentence itself is not automatically rude, but it’s direct. Adding Don Allah makes it more polite.

What is the difference between kar and kada? Can I say Kada ku yi haka?

Kar and kada both mark negative commands / prohibitions:

• Kar ku yi haka.
• Kada ku yi haka.

Both mean: Don’t do that.

Differences:

• kada is the full form; often considered more formal or careful.
• kar is a shortened / contracted form, very common in everyday speech.

In most modern contexts, both are acceptable:

• Written / formal: you’ll often see kada.
• Spoken / casual: people often say kar, but kada is also widely used.

So Kada ku yi haka is completely correct and very natural.

What exactly does haka mean here? Is it “that”, “this”, or “like that”?

Haka is a manner / way word. Its core meaning is “like that / in that way / thus / such”.

In Kar ku yi haka, it refers to the way of acting that has just been shown, mentioned, or is obvious from context.

English equivalents in this sentence:

• Don’t do that.
• Don’t do like that.
• Don’t act that way.

It is not just a simple demonstrative “this/that” (like wannan = this/that thing). It’s more about manner, style, or type of action.

How would I say “Don’t do it that way” versus “Don’t do that (thing)”?

You can adjust what you point to:

1. Don’t do it that way (manner):

   • Kar ku yi haka.
   • Kada ku yi haka. Here haka = that way / in that manner.

2. Don’t do that (specific thing) (a particular action or item already known):

   • Kar ku yi wannan.
   • Kada ku yi wannan. Here wannan = that / this (specific thing).

In practice, Kar ku yi haka is very common in speech for both “Don’t do that” and “Don’t do it like that” when the context is clear.

What is the pronunciation of Kar ku yi haka?

A simple approximation for English speakers:

• Kar – like kar in car, but shorter: kar
• ku – like koo in cool
• yi – usually pronounced like yee, often with a slight y/j sound: yee
• haka – HA-ka (two syllables, roughly HAH-kah)

Put together:

• Kar ku yi haka ≈ kar koo yee HAH-kah.

In fast speech, kar ku often sounds like one unit, something like karku.

What verb form is yi here? Is there anything special about it?

Yi is the very common Hausa verb “to do / to make”. It is somewhat irregular, but:

• The imperative (command form) is also yi:

  • Yi haka. – Do that / Do like that.
  • Ku yi haka. – You (pl.) do that.

• In negative commands, we also use yi after kar / kada:

  • Kar ku yi haka. – Don’t do that.

So here yi is the bare verb form used in commands, both positive and negative.

Can I use this same pattern with other verbs, or only with yi?

You can use the same pattern with any verb to make a negative command. Just replace yi with another verb:

• Kar ku je. – Don’t go.
• Kar ku zauna. – Don’t sit / Don’t stay.
• Kar ku ci. – Don’t eat.
• Kar ku sha giya. – Don’t drink alcohol.
• Kar ku yi magana. – Don’t speak / Don’t talk.

Structure:

• kar / kada + subject pronoun + verb (+ rest of sentence)

So Kar ku yi haka is one example of a general rule.

Is Kar ku yi haka more like “Don’t ever do that” or “Don’t do that now (this time)”?

By default, Kar ku yi haka is context-dependent:

• It can mean “Don’t do that now / in this situation”, or
• more generally, “Don’t do that (kind of thing) at all”.

If you want to make “ever / at all / in general” more explicit, you can add words:

• Kar ku taɓa yin haka. – Don’t ever do that.
• Kar ku saba yi haka. – Don’t make a habit of doing that / Don’t usually do that.

But used on its own in a situation, Kar ku yi haka usually refers to this specific action / situation, unless context shows otherwise.

Can I write karku as one word instead of kar ku?

In careful standard writing, it is usually written as two words:

• kar ku yi haka

In speech, kar ku often runs together and sounds like one word (karku), so in informal writing (social media, texting, lyrics) you sometimes see:

• karku yi haka

For learning and formal use, it is safer to keep them separate:

• kar ku (or kada ku) + verb.