Mastering the Arabic Feminine Demonstrative: Hādhihi (هٰذِهِ)

The Feminine "This": Hādhihi (هَذِهِ)

Identifying and Pointing to Feminine Nouns in Modern Standard Arabic

1. Introduction: Demonstratives and Gender Agreement

In our previous lessons, we explored how to use Hādhā (هَذَا) to point to near, masculine singular nouns (such as "This is a book" → Hādhā kitābun). However, Arabic is a gendered language where every single noun—whether it refers to a human being, a living creature, or an inanimate object—is classified as either masculine or feminine. When the person, animal, or item you are pointing to is grammatically feminine, you must switch to the feminine near demonstrative pronoun: Hādhihi (هَذِهِ).

Mastering Hādhihi is a core foundation of Arabic communication. It allows you to introduce people, describe immediate surroundings, and construct complete nominal sentences (الجُمَلُ الإِسْمِيَّةُ) smoothly and accurately.

2. How Do I Spot a Feminine Noun in Arabic?

For beginner students, determining whether a word requires Hādhihi might seem daunting, but Arabic provides very clear orthographic and semantic rules to guide you. Most feminine nouns fall into specific, predictable categories:

A. Words Ending with Tā' Marbūṭah (ة / ـة)

The single most common indicator of femininity in written Arabic is the letter Tā' Marbūṭah (التاء المربوطة). It appears exclusively at the end of words, resembling a small circle or loop with two dots above it. When pronouncing a word ending in Tā' Marbūṭah in isolation, it sounds like an "ah" or "a" sound:

• Car: سَيَّارَة (Sayyārah) → Ends in ة
• School: مَدْرَسَة (Madrasah) → Ends in ة
• Teacher (Female): مُدَرِّسَة (Mudarrisah) → Ends in ة
• Table: طَاوِلَة (Ṭāwilah) → Ends in ة

B. Naturally Feminine Nouns (Biological Gender)

Nouns that refer naturally to female human beings or female animals are grammatically feminine, even if they do not explicitly end with a Tā' Marbūṭah:

• Girl / Daughter: بِنْت (Bint)
• Mother: أُمّ (Umm)
• Sister: أُخْت (Ukht)

3. Practical Examples Using Hādhihi

Combining Hādhihi with an indefinite noun forms a complete simple sentence without needing an auxiliary verb like "is":

Arabic Phrase	Transliteration	English Meaning	Grammatical Reason
هَذِهِ بِنْتٌ	Hādhihi bintun	This is a girl.	Natural Female
هَذِهِ سَيَّارَةٌ	Hādhihi sayyāratun	This is a car.	Ends in Tā' Marbūṭah
هَذِهِ مَدْرَسَةٌ	Hādhihi madrasatun	This is a school.	Ends in Tā' Marbūṭah
هَذِهِ حَقِيبَةٌ	Hādhihi ḥaqībatun	This is a bag.	Ends in Tā' Marbūṭah
هَذِهِ أُمٌّ	Hādhihi ummun	This is a mother.	Natural Female

💡 Special Category 1: Dual Body Parts

In Arabic linguistics, body parts that exist naturally in pairs (such as eyes, ears, hands, and feet) are almost universally treated as feminine, even though most of them do not end with a Tā' Marbūṭah! Conversely, body parts that are single (like the head, nose, or mouth) are treated as masculine.

Hand (Feminine)

هَذِهِ يَدٌ

Hādhihi yadun

Eye (Feminine)

هَذِهِ عَيْنٌ

Hādhihi 'aynun

Ear (Feminine)

هَذِهِ أُذُنٌ

Hādhihi udhunun

⚡ Special Category 2: Non-Human Plurals (جَمْعُ غَيْرِ العَاقِلِ)

One of the most important grammatical concepts in Modern Standard Arabic is that all plural objects, animals, places, or abstract concepts (non-humans) are treated as singular feminine nouns.

Even if the original singular word was masculine (like Kitāb - book or Bayt - house), as soon as you refer to them in the plural (books or houses), you must use Hādhihi to point to them!

Example: Pointing to Nearby Books

هَذِهِ كُتُبٌ

Hādhihi kutubun ← "These are books."
(Singular: Kitāb [masculine] → Plural: Kutub [non-human plural → treated as feminine singular])

Practice Challenge

Question 1: If Sā'ah (سَاعَة) means "Watch" or "Clock," how do you say "This is a watch"?
Answer: هَذِهِ سَاعَةٌ (Hādhihi sā'atun).

---

Question 2: How would you say "This is a foot" using the word Rijl (رِجْل)?
Answer: هَذِهِ رِجْلٌ (Hādhihi rijlun - because feet come in pairs!).

© Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Educational Resources.