huyu / hawa

Class 1 and 2 Near Demonstratives

Level 1

The words for "this" and "these" when talking about living beings.

How It Works

In Swahili, huyu means "this" (singular) and hawa means "these" (plural). They are proximal demonstratives, meaning they refer to someone physically close to the speaker or just introduced in conversation. They are part of a three-way distance system, alongside huyo and hao (near the listener or just mentioned) and yule and wale (far away).

1. Word Order
Unlike English, Swahili demonstratives typically come after the noun they modify:

  • mtu huyu (this person)
  • watoto hawa (these children)

2. The Animacy Rule (Crucial!)
A common myth is that huyu and hawa are only for Class 1 and Class 2 nouns (the M-WA class, which typically start with m- and wa-). This is inaccurate! Because of animacy agreement, almost all standard nouns for humans and animals use these words, regardless of their prefix. For example, mbwa (dog) and madaktari (doctors) don't start with m-/wa-, but you must still say mbwa huyu (this dog) and madaktari hawa (these doctors). Exceptions exist when placing animate nouns into diminutive or augmentative classes for emphasis (like kijitu hiki for "this little person"). Conversely, not all nouns starting with m- use huyu. Inanimate objects like mti (tree) belong to a different class and do not use huyu.

3. Standalone Use
You can also use them by themselves as pronouns, such as asking Huyu ni nani? (Who is this?).

One Noun, Two Meanings:
Ndege huyu means “this bird,” with animate agreement. Ndege hii means “this airplane,” with Class 9 agreement. The noun is spelled the same way, so its intended meaning determines which demonstrative fits.

Examples (5)

  1. Mtu huyu anasoma.

    This person is reading.

    Word by Word: Person this is reading.

    Notice how 'huyu' comes directly after the noun 'mtu'.

  2. Watoto hawa wamefika.

    These children have arrived.

    Word by Word: Children these have arrived.

    The plural form 'hawa' follows the plural noun 'watoto'.

  3. Mbwa huyu ni dume.

    This dog is male.

    Word by Word: Dog this is male.

    Even though 'mbwa' doesn't start with m-, it is an animal, so it must use 'huyu'.

  4. Madaktari hawa ni wazuri.

    These doctors are good.

    Word by Word: Doctors these are good.

    The plural of 'daktari' is 'madaktari'. Because it refers to people, it uses the plural demonstrative 'hawa'.

  5. Huyu ni nani?

    Who is this?

    Word by Word: This is who?

    'Huyu' can be used on its own as a pronoun when pointing someone out.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the demonstrative before the noun when you want a neutral 'this person'.

    Different MeaningHuyu mtu anasoma.
    Mtu huyu anasoma.

    Huyu mtu anasoma is correct Swahili. With the demonstrative first, it points at the person with extra emphasis, like 'this person here'. For a neutral 'this person', put the demonstrative after the noun: Mtu huyu.

  • Using non-animate demonstratives for animals in Standard Swahili.

    Mbwa hii ni mkali.
    Mbwa huyu ni mkali.

    Learners often use 'hii' for animals like dogs or cats because the nouns belong to Class 9. In Standard Swahili, you must use the animate demonstratives 'huyu' and 'hawa' for all animals. However, note that in colloquial Kenyan Swahili (and Sheng), people frequently default to the Class 9/10 (I-ZI) agreement for animals, so you will often hear 'mbwa hii' in informal contexts there.

How It Connects

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huyu / hawaLevel 1Class 1 and 2 Near Demonstratives

Learn This First

To use 'huyu' and 'hawa' correctly, you need to understand the Swahili noun class system, specifically the M-WA class which refers to people. You also need to know that demonstratives typically follow the noun they describe.

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huyuhawa