-niki

Mine, Yours and Whose

Level 2

-niki means "the one that belongs to": Bu kitob meniki (This book is mine), Bu kimniki? (Whose is this?).

How It Works

Use -niki when the thing owned is already clear and you do not want to name it again.

1. With pronouns

  • meniki — mine
  • seniki — yours (familiar)
  • uniki — his, hers
  • bizniki — ours
  • sizniki — yours (polite or plural)
  • ularniki — theirs

As with mening, men and sen keep only one n: meniki, seniki, never menniki. See pronouns with case endings.

2. With nouns and kim
Anvarniki (Anvar's), akamniki (my older brother's), maktabniki (the school's). To ask whose, use kimniki: Bu kimniki? (Whose is this?).

3. At the end of a sentence
-niki is the way to say "is mine" or "is Anvar's". The -ning form cannot end a sentence on its own: say Bu kitob meniki, not Bu kitob mening. Add -mi to ask: Bu siznikimi? (Is this yours?).

4. With more endings
A -niki word works like a noun, so it takes case endings: Menikini oling (Take mine). With -ga or -da it often means someone's home: akamnikiga bordim (I went to my older brother's place).

Examples (6)

  1. Bu kitob meniki.

    This book is mine.

    Word by Word: This book mine.

    men + -niki → meniki, with one n.

  2. Bu kimniki?

    Whose is this?

    Word by Word: This whose?

    kim + -niki → kimniki.

  3. Bu sumka Anvarniki.

    This bag is Anvar's.

    Word by Word: This bag Anvar's.

    A name takes -niki just like a pronoun.

  4. Bu telefon siznikimi?

    Is this phone yours?

    Word by Word: This phone yours-?

    sizniki + -mi. The question particle goes at the end.

  5. Sizning uyingiz katta, bizniki kichik.

    Your house is big, and ours is small.

    Word by Word: Your house-your big, ours small.

    bizniki stands for bizning uyimiz, so uy is not repeated.

  6. Qalamingiz yoʻqmi? Menikini oling.

    Don't you have a pen? Take mine.

    Word by Word: Pen-your isn't-? Mine-the take.

    meniki takes -ni like a noun: menikini.

Common Mistakes

  • Ending the sentence with the -ning form.

    Bu kitob mening.
    Bu kitob meniki.

    Mening needs a noun after it (mening kitobim). To end the sentence with mine, use meniki.

  • Doubling the n after men.

    Bu sumka menniki.
    Bu sumka meniki.

    The spelling rules drop the ending's n after men and sen: meniki, seniki.

How It Connects

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

-nikiLevel 2Mine, Yours and Whose

Learn This First

Builds on The Possessor Ending -ning and Who.

Words in This Pattern

menikisenikikim