Table of Contents
Understanding Possession with کا, کی, کے
In Urdu, one of the most important early structures you learn is how to say that something belongs to someone. For this, Urdu uses a special set of words: کا (kā), کی (kī), کے (ke).
These words are often translated as "of" or the English apostrophe s ("'s"), as in "Ali's book" or "the book of Ali".
The Core Idea of کا, کی, کے
In English, you say:
- Ali's book
- My brother's car
- The children's school
In Urdu, you express this relationship using کا, کی, کے between the owner and the thing that is owned.
The basic pattern is:
Owner + کا / کی / کے + Thing (noun)
However, کا / کی / کے do not change for the owner, they change according to the thing, that is, the possessed noun.
Key rule: The form کا, کی, کے always agrees in gender and number with the thing that is owned, not with the owner.
So to choose correctly, you must know:
- Is the thing masculine singular? → Use کا (kā)
- Is the thing feminine singular? → Use کی (kī)
- Is the thing plural (masculine or feminine)? → Use کے (ke)
We will use very simple and common nouns here, since more detailed work with gender and plurals appears elsewhere in the course.
Masculine Singular: کا
Use کا (kā) when the possessed noun is masculine and singular.
Some simple masculine singular nouns:
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| گھر | ghar | house, home |
| کتا | kutta | dog |
| بیٹا | beṭā | son |
| دوست | dost | friend (can be masc or fem, but often treated as masculine unless context shows otherwise) |
| قلم | qalam | pen |
| کتابچہ | kitābcha | booklet (masculine) |
Examples with کا
| Urdu | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Natural English |
|---|---|---|---|
| میرا گھر | merā ghar | my house | my house, my home |
| علی کا کتا | Ali kā kutta | Ali's dog | Ali's dog |
| احمد کا دوست | Ahmad kā dost | Ahmad's friend (male) | Ahmad's friend |
| باپ کا بیٹا | bāp kā beṭā | father's son | the father's son |
| بچے کا قلم | bachche kā qalam | child's pen | the child's pen |
Notice:
- Ali does not change.
- کا is chosen because کتا (dog), دوست (friend), بیٹا (son), قلم (pen), گھر (house) are masculine singular.
You can also use pronouns as owners:
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میرا دوست | merā dost | my (male) friend |
| اس کا گھر | us kā ghar | his / her house (depending on context) |
| تمہارا کتا | tumhārā kutta | your dog (informal you) |
We are not explaining all forms of "my, your, his" here, because they are covered elsewhere. Focus on کا agreeing with the possessed thing.
Feminine Singular: کی
Use کی (kī) when the possessed noun is feminine and singular.
Some common feminine singular nouns:
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| کتاب | kitāb | book |
| گاڑی | gāṛī | car |
| ماں | mā̃ | mother |
| بیٹی | beṭī | daughter |
| کرسی | kursī | chair |
| تصویر | tasvīr | picture, photo |
Examples with کی
| Urdu | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Natural English |
|---|---|---|---|
| میری کتاب | merī kitāb | my book | my book |
| علی کی گاڑی | Ali kī gāṛī | Ali's car | Ali's car |
| احمد کی ماں | Ahmad kī mā̃ | Ahmad's mother | Ahmad's mother |
| بہن کی کرسی | bahin kī kursī | sister's chair | the sister's chair |
| بچے کی تصویر | bachche kī tasvīr | child's picture | the child's picture |
Again, look at the thing:
- کتاب, گاڑی, ماں, بیٹی, کرسی, تصویر are feminine singular, so you choose کی (kī).
With pronouns as owners:
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| اس کی کتاب | us kī kitāb | his / her book |
| تمہاری ماں | tumhārī mā̃ | your mother (informal) |
| ہماری گاڑی | hamārī gāṛī | our car |
We are not fully explaining forms like تمہاری, ہماری here, but notice that the کی sound appears when the possessed noun is feminine.
Plural: کے
Use کے (ke) when the possessed noun is plural, whether the noun is masculine or feminine.
Some plural nouns:
| Singular | Transliteration | Plural | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| بیٹا | beṭā | بیٹے | beṭe | son → sons / boys |
| بیٹی | beṭī | بیٹیاں | beṭiyā̃ | daughter → daughters |
| کتاب | kitāb | کتابیں | kitābẽ | book → books |
| دوست | dost | دوست | dost | friend(s) (same form) |
| گھر | ghar | گھر | ghar | house(s) (same form) |
| کرسی | kursī | کرسیاں | kursiyā̃ | chair → chairs |
Examples with کے
| Urdu | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Natural English |
|---|---|---|---|
| میرے بیٹے | mere beṭe | my sons | my sons |
| میرے دوست | mere dost | my friends | my friends |
| اس کے بچے | us ke bachche | his / her children | his / her children |
| علی کے دوست | Ali ke dost | Ali's friends | Ali's friends |
| احمد کے گھر | Ahmad ke ghar | Ahmad's houses | Ahmad's houses |
| تمہارے سوال | tumhāre savāl | your questions | your questions |
| ان کے کتے | un ke kutte | their dogs | their dogs |
Here, even when the plural noun is originally feminine (like کتابیں or کرسیاں), you still use کے.
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میری کتابیں | merī kitābẽ | my books |
| اس کے سوالات | us ke savālāt | his / her questions |
| ہماری کرسیاں | hamārī kursiyā̃ | our chairs |
Notice that کے is the plural form, and it does not care about the gender of the noun, only that it is plural.
Summary of agreement:
- کا (kā) for masculine singular nouns.
- کی (kī) for feminine singular nouns.
- کے (ke) for all plural nouns, masculine or feminine.
Talking about Family and Possession
Since this chapter sits inside "Family and People," here are many examples about family.
My, Your, His, Her + Family Words
Some family words:
| Urdu | Transliteration | Gender | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| باپ | bāp | masc | father |
| والد | wālid | masc | father (more formal) |
| ماں | mā̃ | fem | mother |
| والدہ | wālidā | fem | mother (more formal) |
| بیٹا | beṭā | masc | son |
| بیٹی | beṭī | fem | daughter |
| بھائی | bhāī | masc | brother |
| بہن | bahin | fem | sister |
| شوہر | shauhar | masc | husband |
| بیوی | bīvī | fem | wife |
| بچہ | bachchā | masc | child (often masc) |
| بچے | bachche | plural | children |
| خاندان | ḳhāndān | masc | family |
Now, see how کا, کی, کے work with these.
Masculine singular family nouns → کا
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میرا بھائی | merā bhāī | my brother |
| اس کا باپ | us kā bāp | his / her father |
| علی کا بیٹا | Ali kā beṭā | Ali's son |
| احمد کا شوہر | Ahmad kā shauhar | Ahmad's husband (if Ahmad is a woman) |
| ان کا خاندان | un kā ḳhāndān | their family (خاندان is masculine singular) |
Feminine singular family nouns → کی
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میری بہن | merī bahin | my sister |
| اس کی ماں | us kī mā̃ | his / her mother |
| علی کی بیٹی | Ali kī beṭī | Ali's daughter |
| اس کی بیوی | us kī bīvī | his wife |
| میری والدہ | merī wālidā | my mother |
Plural family nouns → کے
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میرے بھائی | mere bhāī | my brothers |
| میری بہنیں کے?* | merī bahinẽ (no کے here, because no owner after) | my sisters (no کا/کی/کے because no owner after) |
| اس کے بچے | us ke bachche | his / her children |
| علی کے بیٹے | Ali ke beṭe | Ali's sons |
| ان کے والدین | un ke wālidein | their parents |
In "my brothers", there is no second noun after the plural, so you simply say میرے بھائی (mere bhāī). You use کا/کی/کے only when you are linking two nouns or a pronoun and a noun, that is, "X's Y".
For example:
- "My brothers' house": میرے بھائیوں کا گھر (mere bhāiyõ kā ghar)
- Owner: my brothers (plural)
- Thing: house (masc singular) → کا
- "Ali's daughters' school":
علی کی بیٹیوں کا اسکول (Ali kī beṭiyõ kā iskūl) - Owner: Ali's daughters (plural)
- Thing: school (masc singular) → کا
Owner vs Thing: Who Controls کا, کی, کے?
To avoid confusion, always separate the two parts:
- The owner (who has it)
- The thing (what they have)
The form کا / کی / کے is decided only by the thing, not by the owner.
Look at these pairs and see how only the thing matters:
| Urdu | Transliteration | Owner | Thing | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| علی کا گھر | Ali kā ghar | Ali | house (masc sg) | کا | Ali's house |
| اس کا گھر | us kā ghar | he / she | house (masc sg) | کا | his / her house |
| میری کتاب | merī kitāb | I | book (fem sg) | کی (as part of merī) | my book |
| علی کی کتاب | Ali kī kitāb | Ali | book (fem sg) | کی | Ali's book |
| میرا دوست | merā dost | I | friend (masc sg) | کا-form | my (male) friend |
| میری دوست | merī dost | I | friend (fem sg) | کی-form | my (female) friend |
| اس کے دوست | us ke dost | he / she | friends (plural) | کے | his / her friends |
| علی کے دوست | Ali ke dost | Ali | friends (plural) | کے | Ali's friends |
From English to Urdu: Simple Patterns
Here are some very common patterns that you will use in beginner dialogues.
Try to recognize the owner and thing in each.
"X's Y" patterns
| English | Urdu | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Ali's book | علی کی کتاب | Ali kī kitāb |
| Ali's pen | علی کا قلم | Ali kā qalam |
| Ali's books | علی کی کتابیں | Ali kī kitābẽ (no کا/کی/کے because no second noun after) |
| Ali's cars | علی کی گاڑیاں | Ali kī gāṛiyā̃ |
| Ali's children | علی کے بچے | Ali ke bachche |
| my house | میرا گھر | merā ghar |
| my car | میری گاڑی | merī gāṛī |
| my children | میرے بچے | mere bachche |
| your brother | تمہارا بھائی | tumhārā bhāī |
| your sister | تمہاری بہن | tumhārī bahin |
| your brothers | تمہارے بھائی | tumhāre bhāī |
| his book | اس کی کتاب | us kī kitāb |
| his pen | اس کا قلم | us kā qalam |
| his books | اس کی کتابیں | us kī kitābẽ |
| her son | اس کا بیٹا | us kā beṭā |
| her daughter | اس کی بیٹی | us kī beṭī |
| her sons | اس کے بیٹے | us ke beṭe |
Notice again: look at the last noun and choose کا / کی / کے from that.
Short Mini Dialogues
Here are simple dialogues that include possession with کا, کی, کے. These are not full grammar lessons, only to show context.
Dialogue 1: Whose book is this?
A: یہ کس کی کتاب ہے؟
ye kis kī kitāb hai?
Whose book is this?
B: یہ علی کی کتاب ہے۔
ye Ali kī kitāb hai.
This is Ali's book.
A: علی کی کون سی کتاب؟
Ali kī kaun sī kitāb?
Which book of Ali?
B: علی کی اردو کی کتاب۔
Ali kī Urdū kī kitāb.
Ali's Urdu book.
Here کتاب is feminine, so each time we see کی.
Dialogue 2: My family
A: تمہارا خاندان کہاں ہے؟
tumhārā ḳhāndān kahā̃ hai?
Where is your family?
B: میرا خاندان لاہور میں ہے۔
merā ḳhāndān Lahaur mẽ hai.
My family is in Lahore.
A: تمہارے بھائی اور بہنیں؟
tumhāre bhāī aur bahinẽ?
Your brothers and sisters?
B: میرے دو بھائی اور ایک بہن ہے۔
mere do bhāī aur ek bahin hai.
I have two brothers and one sister.
Here:
- تمہارا خاندان: family is masculine singular → use کا form (تمہارا / merā etc.)
- We are not adding another noun after "my family", so we do not need کا/کی/کے as a separate word.
Dialogue 3: Their house and car
A: یہ کس کا گھر ہے؟
ye kis kā ghar hai?
Whose house is this?
B: یہ ان کا گھر ہے۔
ye un kā ghar hai.
This is their house.
A: اور یہ کس کی گاڑی ہے؟
aur ye kis kī gāṛī hai?
And whose car is this?
B: یہ ان کی بیٹی کی گاڑی ہے۔
ye un kī beṭī kī gāṛī hai.
This is their daughter's car.
Observe:
- گھر masculine singular → کا
- گاڑی feminine singular → کی
- بیٹی feminine singular → کی again
Common Beginner Mistakes
Here are some frequent errors that English speakers make and how to fix them.
Mistake 1: Matching with the owner
Incorrect:
- علی کا ماں ✗
Ali kā mā̃
The learner matched کا with Ali (masculine).
Correct:
- علی کی ماں
Ali kī mā̃
Because ماں is feminine, use کی.
Mistake 2: Forgetting plural
Incorrect:
- اس کا بچے ✗
us kā bachche
The noun بچے is plural.
Correct:
- اس کے بچے
us ke bachche
Children → plural → کے.
Mistake 3: Using کے with feminine singular
Incorrect:
- میری کے کتاب ✗
This mixes forms wrongly.
Correct:
- میری کتاب
merī kitāb
Here merī already contains the feminine form. You do not need an extra کا/کی/کے.
Whenever you are unsure, identify the last noun and check: masculine singular, feminine singular, or plural.
Practice Section (Mentally or on Paper)
Try to translate these into Urdu. Pay attention to masculine / feminine and singular / plural.
- Ali's house
- Ali's houses
- my friend (male)
- my friend (female)
- his mother
- her father
- their children
- our car
- your books (informal, plural "books")
- Ahmad's sisters
Possible answers to check yourself:
- علی کا گھر
Ali kā ghar - علی کے گھر
Ali ke ghar - میرا دوست
merā dost - میری دوست
merī dost - اس کی ماں
us kī mā̃ - اس کا باپ
us kā bāp - ان کے بچے
un ke bachche - ہماری گاڑی
hamārī gāṛī - تمہاری کتابیں
tumhārī kitābẽ - احمد کی بہنیں
Ahmad kī bahinẽ
Notice that in number 2, "houses" is plural, so کے is used. In number 10, there is no second noun after "sisters", so کی is inside احمد کی, and you do not need extra کا/کی/کے.
Vocabulary from this Chapter
Below is a list of useful words that appeared in this chapter.
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| کا | kā | of (masc singular possession marker) |
| کی | kī | of (fem singular possession marker) |
| کے | ke | of (plural possession marker) |
| گھر | ghar | house, home |
| کتاب | kitāb | book |
| قلم | qalam | pen |
| گاڑی | gāṛī | car |
| تصویر | tasvīr | picture, photo |
| کرسی | kursī | chair |
| بیٹا | beṭā | son |
| بیٹی | beṭī | daughter |
| ماں | mā̃ | mother |
| باپ | bāp | father |
| والد | wālid | father (formal) |
| والدہ | wālidā | mother (formal) |
| بھائی | bhāī | brother |
| بہن | bahin | sister |
| بچہ | bachchā | child (often masc) |
| بچے | bachche | children |
| شوہر | shauhar | husband |
| بیوی | bīvī | wife |
| خاندان | ḳhāndān | family |
| دوست | dost | friend |
| سوال | savāl | question |
| اسکول | iskūl | school |
| میرا / میری / میرے | merā / merī / mere | my (forms agree with noun) |
| تمہارا / تمہاری / تمہارے | tumhārā / tumhārī / tumhāre | your (informal) |
| اس | us | he / she / it (oblique, "his / her / its" with کا/کی/کے) |
| ان | un | they (oblique, "their" with کا/کی/کے) |
| کون | kaun | who |
| کس | kis | who, whose (in "whose X") |
| کون سی | kaun sī | which (fem) |
With this chapter, you now have the basic tool to say who owns what in Urdu, which you will use constantly when talking about family, friends, and everyday objects.