Whose Is It: naʻu and noʻu

Whose Is It: Na and No

Level 3

Naʻu and noʻu usually say who owns something: “mine”.

How It Works

Ownera classo class
menaʻunoʻu
younāunou
him or hernānanona

The n-forms answer “whose is it?” The question word is wai “who”: Na wai kēlā pōpoki? “Whose cat is that?” For an owner who is not a pronoun, put na or no before the noun, as in Na ke kumu ka puke “The book belongs to the teacher”. Choose naʻu or noʻu the same way you choose kaʻu and koʻu. For two or more owners, na or no goes with the pronoun, as in No mākou ka hale “The house is ours”. Watch the kahakō: nāu and nou are different words.

Examples (5)

  1. Naʻu kēlā pōpoki.

    That cat is mine.

    A pet takes the a class, so naʻu.

  2. Noʻu kēia hale.

    This house is mine.

    A home takes the o class, so noʻu.

  3. Nāna ka ʻeke.

    The bag belongs to him or her.

    Nāna is the a class form for him or her.

  4. Nou kēia pāpale?

    Is this hat yours?

    Nou is the o class form for you.

  5. Na wai kēlā pōpoki?

    Whose cat is that?

    Na wai asks who owns it.

How It Connects

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

Whose Is It: naʻu and noʻuLevel 3Whose Is It: Na and No

Learn This First

These forms say that a thing is mine, and they follow the two classes.

Words in This Pattern

naʻunoʻunāunounānanonawai