kan
One or a Certain Thing
Use noun + mid-tone kan.
How It Works
Kan follows the noun. In a numerical contrast, it means ‘one’: àpò kan contrasts with àpò méjì, ‘two bags’. When introducing a referent, it can correspond to English ‘a’ or ‘a certain’. Context determines whether the exact count is emphasized.
An indefinite phrase leaves the referent's identity unstated; it does not establish whether the speaker knows that identity. The noun keeps its form. Learn kan as the noun-counting form for one rather than adding m- mechanically to an independent number name. This lesson concerns postnominal kan. Similar-looking forms in other positions need their own analysis, and negative kankan belongs to a separate construction.
Examples (3)
- Mo ní àpò kan.
I have one bag, or a certain bag.
Context selects the counting or indefinite reading.
- Ó ra fìlà kan.
He or she bought a cap.
Kan introduces the purchased cap.
- ọjọ́ kan
One day or a certain day (noun-phrase fragment).
The phrase can count or introduce a day.
Related Patterns
Practice kan in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Yoruba lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
