’Yar uwata kan soya dankali da safe, amma ni kan ci burodi kawai.

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Breakdown of ’Yar uwata kan soya dankali da safe, amma ni kan ci burodi kawai.

• ci: to eat
• da: during
• amma: but

Questions & Answers about ’Yar uwata kan soya dankali da safe, amma ni kan ci burodi kawai.

What does ’Yar uwata literally mean, and why does it mean my sister?

The phrase ’Yar uwata is built up like this:

• ’yar = daughter (in a special "of‑" form)
• uwa = mother
• uwata = my mother (uwa + possessive suffix -ta = "my mother")

So ’yar uwata literally means the daughter of my mother.
In normal usage, ’yar uwata therefore means my (female) sibling → my sister.

So:

• ’yar uwata = my sister (female sibling)
• ɗan uwata (using ɗan, "son (of)") = my brother (male sibling)
• ’yan uwata = my siblings (plural, mixed or all female)

Is ’yar uwa the only way to say sister in Hausa?

No, but it is one of the most common and neutral ways.

Common options:

• ’yar uwa – sister (literally "daughter of mother"), often used for sister / female sibling in general.
• With possession:
  • ’yar uwata – my sister
  • ’yar uwarka – your (m.sg.) sister
  • ’yar uwarsu – their sister

There is also:

• ’yar’uwata (written together by some speakers) – same meaning.
• In some regions, people may also say things like ’yar gida for a girl of the same household, but as a learner, ’yar uwa / ’yar uwata is your safest and most widely understood choice for "sister."

What is the apostrophe at the beginning of ’Yar? How do you pronounce it?