Arabic Possessive Pronouns: Chart, Examples & Practice

In Arabic, "my book" is a single word: كِتَابِي (kitaabee). There's no separate word for "my." Instead, a short ending attaches directly to the noun. That's all Arabic possessive pronouns are: small suffixes that show who something belongs to.

You only need eight of them to cover almost everything you'll say, and most of them echo pronouns you may already know. Below you'll find the full chart, two small spelling changes to watch for, how to say "mine" and "I have," and a quick practice round to lock it all in.

What Are Arabic Possessive Pronouns?

In English, words like "my," "your," and "his" sit in front of the noun: my book, your car. Arabic flips this. The possessive comes after the noun and attaches to it, so the two become one word.

That's why Arabic grammar calls them attached pronouns. They can't stand on their own the way أَنَا (ana, "I") or هُوَ (huwa, "he") can. If those standalone pronouns are new to you, start with personal pronouns and come back. Everything here builds on them.

Possession in Arabic also covers more than ownership. It shows relationships too:

أَخِي

(akhee)

My brother

You don't own your brother, but he's still yours. Arabic handles both ideas with the same suffix.

A quick note on terms: English grammar technically calls "my, your, his" possessive adjectives and saves "possessive pronouns" for "mine, yours, his." In Arabic, there's no such split. Learners and teachers call these suffixes possessive pronouns, and that's the name you'll see everywhere.

The 8 Arabic Possessive Pronouns (Chart)

Here's the full set, each attached to كِتَاب (kitaab, "book"). Keep this chart handy; you'll come back to it often.

Here's a shortcut that makes these much easier to remember: most suffixes echo their pronoun.

• هُوَ (huwa) becomes ـهُ (-hu), هِيَ (hiya) becomes ـهَا (-haa), and هُمْ (hum) becomes ـهُمْ (-hum). The third-person suffixes are basically shortened pronouns.
• أَنْتَ (anta) becomes ـكَ (-ka), أَنْتِ (anti) becomes ـكِ (-ki), and أَنْتُمْ (antum) becomes ـكُمْ (-kum). The "you" set swaps the ت for a ك but keeps the same vowels.

So you're not really learning eight new things. You're learning one twist on words you already know.

Talking About Your Own Things: ـي (-ee) and ـنَا (-naa)

ـي means "my." The letter before it always takes a kasra (the short "i" sound), which slides straight into the long "ee":

اِسْمِي أَحْمَد

(ismee ahmad)

My name is Ahmad

ـنَا means "our," whoever "we" happens to be:

بَيْتُنَا قَرِيب

(baytunaa qareeb)

Our house is close

Talking to Someone: ـكَ (-ka), ـكِ (-ki), and ـكُمْ (-kum)

Just like أَنْتَ (anta) and أَنْتِ (anti), the "you" suffixes change with the person you're talking to. A fatha (the "a" sound) is for a man, and a kasra (the "i" sound) is for a woman. Here's the same everyday question asked three ways:

The literal meaning is "how is your condition?" That's how Arabic asks "how are you," and it's the perfect sentence for practicing these three endings.

Talking About Someone Else: ـهُ (-hu), ـهَا (-haa), and ـهُمْ (-hum)

هٰذَا كِتَابُهُ

(haadhaa kitaabuhu)

This is his book

اِسْمُهَا نُور

(ismuhaa noor)

Her name is Noor

بَيْتُهُمْ كَبِير

(baytuhum kabeer)

Their house is big

How Possessive Suffixes Attach: 2 Small Changes

Most of the time, you simply add the suffix and you're done. Two small changes come up again and again, though, and knowing them early saves you a lot of confusion.

1. ة Turns Into ت

Many Arabic nouns end in ة (taa marboota), especially feminine ones. The moment you add a suffix, ة "unties" into a regular ت:

2. ـهُ Becomes ـهِ After an "i" Sound

When the sound right before ـهُ is a kasra (the short "i" sound) or a long "ee" (ي), the suffix shifts to ـهِ (-hi) so it flows more easily. You'll see this constantly after prepositions like مِنْ (min, "from") and فِي (fee, "in"):

هٰذَا جُزْءٌ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ

(haadhaa juz'un min kitaabihi)

This is a part of his book

The same thing happens to ـهُمْ (-hum), which becomes ـهِمْ (-him), as in فِي بَيْتِهِمْ (fee baytihim, "in their house").

The Suffix Follows the Owner, Not the Thing Owned

Here's a question learners ask all the time: why does one app translate "his teacher" as مُعَلِّمُهُ (mu'allimuhu) while another gives مُعَلِّمَتُهُ (mu'allimatuhu)? Both are correct. The difference has nothing to do with "his." It's about the teacher.

Two separate things are happening in each word:

• The noun keeps its own gender. مُعَلِّم (mu'allim) is a male teacher; مُعَلِّمَة (mu'allima) is a female teacher.
• The suffix shows the owner. ـهُ (-hu) means the owner is a man; ـهَا (-haa) means the owner is a woman.

English hides the teacher's gender, so translation apps have to guess. Arabic never leaves it ambiguous. Pick the suffix by asking "who owns it?" and leave the noun exactly as it is.

How to Say "Its" in Arabic

Arabic has no word for "it." Every noun is either masculine or feminine, so "its" is just ـهُ (-hu) or ـهَا (-haa), depending on the noun you're talking about:

الْبَيْتُ كَبِيرٌ، وَبَابُهُ أَزْرَق

(al-baytu kabeerun, wa baabuhu azraq)

The house is big, and "its" door is blue

السَّيَّارَةُ جَدِيدَةٌ، وَلَوْنُهَا أَحْمَر

(as-sayyaaratu jadeedatun, wa lawnuhaa ahmar)

The car is new, and "its" color is red

House (بَيْت) is masculine, so "its door" takes ـهُ, as in بَابُهُ (baabuhu). Car (سَيَّارَة) is feminine, so "its color" takes ـهَا, as in لَوْنُهَا (lawnuhaa).

How to Say "Mine" and "I Have" in Arabic

So far, every suffix has attached to a noun. The same eight suffixes also attach to small words called prepositions, and that's how Arabic says "mine" and "I have."

"Mine" with لِي (lee)

The preposition لِ (li) means "for" or "belonging to." Add the suffixes and you get "mine," "yours," "his," and so on:

هٰذَا الْكِتَابُ لِي

(haadhaa al-kitaabu lee)

This book is mine

هَلْ هٰذَا الْقَلَمُ لَكَ؟

(hal haadhaa al-qalamu laka?)

Is this pen yours? (to a man)

One small detail: لِ (li) changes to لَ (la) before every suffix except "my." So it's لِي (lee), but لَكَ (laka), لَهُ (lahu), لَهَا (lahaa), and لَنَا (lanaa).

"I Have" with عِنْدِي ('indee)

Arabic has no verb "to have." Instead, it uses عِنْدَ ('inda, "at" or "with") plus a suffix. Literally, "I have a car" is "at me is a car":

عِنْدِي سُؤَال

('indee su'aal)

I have a question

هَلْ عِنْدَكِ أَخ؟

(hal 'indaki akh?)

Do you have a brother? (to a woman)

Quick Practice: Arabic Possessive Pronouns Exercises

Try each one before checking the answer.

1. You're introducing yourself. How do you say "my name"? (name = اِسْم)

Click to see the answer

اِسْمِي (ismee) — اِسْمِي أَحْمَد (ismee ahmad)

2. You're speaking to a woman. How do you say "your car"? (car = سَيَّارَة)

Click to see the answer

سَيَّارَتُكِ (sayyaaratuki) — أَيْنَ سَيَّارَتُكِ؟ (ayna sayyaaratuki?)

3. How do you say "our school"? (school = مَدْرَسَة)

Click to see the answer

مَدْرَسَتُنَا (madrasatunaa) — مَدْرَسَتُنَا قَرِيبَة (madrasatunaa qareeba)

4. Layla is talking about her female teacher. Which word fits: مُعَلِّمُهَا (mu'allimuhaa) or مُعَلِّمَتُهَا (mu'allimatuhaa)?

Click to see the answer

مُعَلِّمَتُهَا (mu'allimatuhaa) — the teacher is female, and the owner is female

5. Ahmad has a female teacher. Which word fits: مُعَلِّمَتُهُ (mu'allimatuhu) or مُعَلِّمَتُهَا (mu'allimatuhaa)?

Click to see the answer

مُعَلِّمَتُهُ (mu'allimatuhu) — the owner is Ahmad, so the suffix is ـهُ

6. How do you say "I have a question"? (question = سُؤَال)

Click to see the answer

عِنْدِي ('indee) — عِنْدِي سُؤَال ('indee su'aal)

7. Handing a man his pen, how do you say "This pen is yours"?

Click to see the answer

لَكَ (laka) — هٰذَا الْقَلَمُ لَكَ (haadhaa al-qalamu laka)

8. How do you say "in their house"? (Watch the vowel change.)

Click to see the answer

بَيْتِهِمْ (baytihim) — فِي بَيْتِهِمْ (fee baytihim)

Eight Small Endings, Countless Sentences

Arabic possessive pronouns come down to eight suffixes that attach to the end of a word. Learn the chart, remember that ة turns into ت, and always choose the suffix by asking who the owner is. Add لِي (lee) and عِنْدِي ('indee), and you can talk about your name, your family, your things, and what you have, all in fully correct Arabic.

None of this needs to be perfect on day one. The more you use these endings in real sentences, the faster they become automatic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Arabic possessive pronouns change based on the noun's gender?

No. The suffix only reflects the owner: ـهُ (-hu) for a male owner, ـهَا (-haa) for a female owner. The noun keeps its own gender separately, which is why مُعَلِّمُهُ (his male teacher) and مُعَلِّمَتُهُ (his female teacher) both use the same "his" suffix.

How do you say "its" in Arabic?

Arabic has no separate word for "its." Since every noun is masculine or feminine, you use ـهُ (-hu) for masculine nouns and ـهَا (-haa) for feminine ones. For example, بَابُهُ (baabuhu) means "its door" when talking about a house, which is masculine.

How do you say "mine" in Arabic?

Use لِي (lee), the preposition لِ ("belonging to") with the "my" suffix. هٰذَا الْكِتَابُ لِي means "This book is mine." For "yours," say لَكَ (laka) to a man or لَكِ (laki) to a woman.

Are these possessive pronouns or possessive adjectives?

In English grammar, "my, your, his" are technically possessive adjectives, while "mine, yours" are possessive pronouns. Arabic doesn't make that split. Its grammar calls them attached pronouns, and most learning resources call them Arabic possessive pronouns.

Why do some charts show more than 8 possessive suffixes?

Full charts include every slot Arabic has, including the dual (exactly two people) and the feminine plural (groups of women), such as ـكُمَا (-kumaa) and ـهُنَّ (-hunna). These forms are rare in everyday speech, so the eight in this guide cover almost everything a beginner will say and hear.

Do possessive pronouns work the same way in spoken Arabic dialects?

The idea is the same, since dialects also attach possession as a suffix, but the sounds shift. In Egyptian Arabic, for example, "your book" is kitaabak to a man and kitaabik to a woman.

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