Learn Hardcore Hausa: A ɗakin girki akwai itace kusa da murhu. - In the kitchen there is firewood near the stove.

So A + a place noun (or noun phrase) normally gives you a location: a gida (at home), a kasuwa (at the market), a ɗaki (in the room), etc.

How is ɗakin girki formed, and why isn’t it just ɗaki girki?

Hausa links two nouns in a “possessive / of” relationship with a short linking sound at the end of the first noun.

ɗaki = room
add the linker -n → ɗakin
girki = cooking

So ɗakin girki literally means “room of cooking”, i.e. kitchen.

You cannot normally say ɗaki girki; it needs that linker -n (or -r after some vowels) to show the “of” relationship:

motar malam = the teacher’s car (motà + -r + malam)
ƙofar gida = the door of the house (ƙòfa + -r + gida)
ɗakin girki = the kitchen (ɗàki + -n + girki)

What kind of verb is akwai, and how is it different from normal verbs like yana or suna?

akwai is an existential verb; it is used to say “there is / there are”.

akwai itace = there is (some) wood
akwai mutane = there are people

In this sentence:

A ɗakin girki akwai itace… = In the kitchen there is wood…

You don’t conjugate akwai for person or number:

akwai littafi = there is a book
akwai littattafai = there are books

It stays akwai in both cases.
Verbs like yana / suna (he is / they are [doing/being somewhere]) are used for continuous actions or ongoing states, not for introducing the mere existence of something.

Why does the sentence start with the place phrase A ɗakin girki instead of “There is wood…” first?

Hausa often puts the location first when you’re talking about where something exists:

A gidanmu akwai mutane da yawa.
In our house there are many people.

Here, A ɗakin girki (“in the kitchen”) is fronted to set the scene. You could also say:

Akwai itace kusa da murhu a ɗakin girki.

This is still grammatical, but the natural, common pattern in Hausa for “there is X in/at Y” is:

A [place] akwai [thing] …

So the given sentence follows a very typical word order.

Can this sentence be translated as “There is firewood in the kitchen near the stove” even though itace literally means “wood/tree”?

Yes. itace can mean:

tree
wood / timber / firewood

The exact meaning depends on context. Near a murhu (cooking stove), itace will normally be understood as firewood.

So although itace is literally “wood,” it is perfectly natural in context to translate it as “firewood” in English.

Is itace singular or plural here? How do you say “pieces of wood” or “several sticks of firewood” in Hausa?

itace is grammatically singular, but it often behaves like a mass noun (“wood”, “firewood”), which doesn’t need a plural to mean “some wood”.

If you want to make it clearly plural or countable, you can say things like:

ƙatako = a piece of timber / plank
ƙatakai = planks / pieces of wood
itatuwa = trees (plural of “tree”, not of “firewood”)

But in everyday speech, akwai itace commonly just means “there’s (some) firewood”, and the amount is understood from context.

What does kusa da mean, and is it one word or two? How else can you say “near” in Hausa?

kusa da is a prepositional phrase meaning “near / close to”:

kusa = near, close
da = (here) “to / with” – part of the expression

So:

itace kusa da murhu = wood near the stove

Other similar expressions:

a kusa da = at/near (literally “at the near of”)
- Akwai itace a kusa da murhu.
dab da = right next to, very close to
- itace dab da murhu = wood right by the stove

In your sentence, kusa da is a very common and natural way to say “near”.

What exactly is a murhu? Is it like a modern gas stove?

murhu is usually a traditional cooking place or stove, often used with firewood or charcoal. Depending on region and context, it can be:

a three-stone hearth
a clay or metal charcoal stove
any traditional wood/coal cooking spot

In modern contexts, speakers may also use murhu more loosely for stove in general, but for a modern gas or electric cooker you’ll also hear tanderu, cooker, etc.

In the context of itace (firewood), murhu here is best understood as a wood‑burning stove / hearth.

How do you pronounce the letter ɗ in ɗaki and ɗakin? Is it the same as English d?

ɗ is not the same as English d.

d = a regular “d” sound (like in English do, day)
ɗ = an implosive d, made by slightly sucking air inward while pronouncing a “d”-like sound

To approximate ɗ:

Start to say d as in “dog”.
At the same time, slightly pull the tongue and air inward, rather than pushing air out.

Learners often pronounce ɗ like a strong d, which is usually understood in context, but it’s good to be aware it is a distinct sound in Hausa and can differentiate words.

Why is it ɗakin and not just ɗaki after A? Does A change the form of the noun?

The change to ɗakin has nothing to do with A; it’s caused by the genitive/linker for “of”.

ɗaki = room
girki = cooking
ɗakin girki = room of cooking → kitchen

The -n on ɗaki is the linking consonant that joins it to the next noun (girki).

The preposition A just comes before the whole noun phrase:

A
- ɗakin girki = in the kitchen

So A doesn’t change the noun; girki following ɗaki is what triggers ɗaki → ɗakin.

Why don’t we see ne or ce in this sentence? Don’t Hausa sentences usually need them?

The copulas ne/ce are used in equative or identifying sentences, like:

Wannan itace ce. = This is a tree.
Shi ɗalibi ne. = He is a student.

In your sentence, we’re not equating one thing with another; we’re talking about existence / presence:

A ɗakin girki akwai itace kusa da murhu.
In the kitchen there is wood near the stove.

Because akwai is already an existential verb (“there is/are”), it plays the main verb role, and you do not add ne/ce here. They would be ungrammatical in this structure.

Could I say Cikin ɗakin girki akwai itace kusa da murhu instead of A ɗakin girki…? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Cikin ɗakin girki akwai itace kusa da murhu.

ciki = inside
cikin (ciki + linker -n) = inside of

Nuance:

A ɗakin girki… = in / at the kitchen (general location)
Cikin ɗakin girki… = inside the kitchen (a bit more specific, inside as opposed to outside)

In many contexts the difference is small, and both will sound natural. A ɗakin girki is slightly more neutral and very common.