Possession With ko and kā

Level 3

The marker ko or kā can go before the owner, with the thing owned after it.

How It Works

This is the second way to say “of the teacher”. The first way, ka hale o ke kumu, puts the owner last. Here the owner comes first.

Class	Pattern	Meaning
o class	ko ke kumu hale	the house of the teacher
a class	kā ke kumu puke	the book of the teacher

The Reference Grammar gives kā ka haumana puke “the book of the student”. In a sentence that says someone has something, the thing owned can come first: He ʻīlio kā Noelani “Noelani has a dog”. Both orders are used. A name works the same way as a noun: ko Leilani kaʻa “the car of Leilani”. Some writers spell ko with a kahakō.

Examples (4)

Nui ko ke kumu hale.
The house of the teacher is big.
The house takes ko.
Ke heluhelu nei au i kā ke kumu puke.
I am reading the book of the teacher.
The book takes kā.
He ʻīlio kā Noelani.
Noelani has a dog.
The thing owned comes first after he.
Ua ʻike ʻo Kala i ko Leilani kaʻa.
Kala saw the car of Leilani.
The car takes ko.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Possession With ko and kāLevel 3

Learn This First

Ko and kā come before the owner, and the choice of ko or kā follows the two classes.

The A and O Classes
Know the two classes, because ko goes with the o class and kā with the a class.
Level 3

Words in This Pattern

kokā

Practice Possession With ko and kā in Bubblegum

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