The Body

English:

Hausa:

Notice how, in Hausa, some body parts are incorporated into the names of other body parts.

• Toe (yatsun kafa) = finger of the foot
• Ankle (idon kafa) = eye of the foot
• Elbow (gwiwan hannu) = knee of the hand
• Wrist (wuyan hannu) = neck of the hand

Talking about the body

To talk about your own body use the following formula:

(body part) + na = my (body part)

To talk about someone else’s body use the following formula:

(body part) + (suffix “n”) + pronoun = your/her/his (body part)

Examples

My eye = ido na

Your eye = idon  ki (feminine)

Your eye = idon ka (masculine)

Her eye = idon ta

His eye = idon shi

Practice using the formula above with each of the body parts listed.