Arabic Demonstratives: hādhā, hādhihi, dhālika

Level: beginner. A demonstrative is a pointing word — English “this”, “that”, “these”, “those”. Arabic has a near set for things close to you and a far set for things further away, and each one changes for the gender of the noun it points to. Learn four core words first: هٰذَا (hādhā) and هٰذِهِ (hādhihi) for “this”, ذٰلِكَ (dhālika) and تِلْكَ (tilka) for “that”.

The rule

Arabic demonstratives agree with their noun in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular, dual, plural). For a single object you only need four:

• هٰذَا (hādhā) — this (masculine): هٰذَا الوَلَدُ (hādhā al-waladu), this boy
• هٰذِهِ (hādhihi) — this (feminine): هٰذِهِ البِنْتُ (hādhihi al-bintu), this girl
• ذٰلِكَ (dhālika) — that (masculine): ذٰلِكَ الرَّجُلُ (dhālika ar-rajulu), that man
• تِلْكَ (tilka) — that (feminine): تِلْكَ المَرْأَةُ (tilka al-marʾatu), that woman

The most important rule for beginners is about the definite article ال (al-). When the demonstrative is followed by a definite noun (one with ال — al-), the two together form a phrase: هٰذَا الكِتَابُ (hādhā al-kitābu) means “this book”. But when the noun is indefinite (no ال — al-), you get a full sentence: هٰذَا كِتَابٌ (hādhā kitābun) means “this is a book”.

A rational noun refers to a person; a non-rational noun refers to a thing or animal. This matters in the plural: Arabic treats non-rational plurals as grammatically feminine singular, so “these books” uses the feminine singular هٰذِهِ (hādhihi): هٰذِهِ الكُتُبُ (hādhihi al-kutubu).

Forms

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ هٰذَا كِتَاب (meaning “this book”) → ✅ هٰذَا الكِتَاب (hādhā al-kitāb). Without ال (al-) you have said “this is a book”; add ال (al-) for the phrase “this book”.
• ❌ هٰذَا السَّيَّارَة (hādhā as-sayyāra) → ✅ هٰذِهِ السَّيَّارَة (hādhihi as-sayyāra). سَيَّارَة (sayyāra) is feminine, so use هٰذِهِ (hādhihi).
• ❌ هٰذِهِ الوَلَد (hādhihi al-walad) → ✅ هٰذَا الوَلَد (hādhā al-walad). وَلَد (walad, boy) is masculine, so use هٰذَا (hādhā).
• ❌ هٰؤُلَاءِ الكُتُب (hāʾulāʾi al-kutub) → ✅ هٰذِهِ الكُتُب (hādhihi al-kutub). Books are non-rational, so the plural takes feminine singular هٰذِهِ (hādhihi).
• ❌ ذٰلِكَ المَرْأَة (dhālika al-marʾa) → ✅ تِلْكَ المَرْأَة (tilka al-marʾa). مَرْأَة (marʾa, woman) is feminine, so “that” is تِلْكَ (tilka).

A short conversation

— مَا هٰذَا؟ (mā hādhā?) — What is this? — هٰذَا كِتَابٌ. (hādhā kitābun.) — This is a book. — وَمَا تِلْكَ؟ (wa-mā tilka?) — And what is that (feminine)? — تِلْكَ سَيَّارَةٌ. (tilka sayyāratun.) — That is a car.

Notice how هٰذَا (hādhā) goes with the masculine كِتَاب (kitāb), while تِلْكَ (tilka) is used for the feminine سَيَّارَة (sayyāra).

Usage notes

• The alif in these words is a “dagger alif”. هٰذَا (hādhā) and ذٰلِكَ (dhālika) are pronounced with a long ā even though it is written as a small mark, not a full alif. Say hādhā, dhālika with that long vowel.
• Demonstratives can stand alone. You do not always need a noun: هٰذَا (hādhā) by itself can mean “this one”, as in مَا هٰذَا؟ (mā hādhā?, “what is this?”).
• Non-rational plurals are feminine singular. This is a core Arabic habit: a group of things (not people) is treated as one feminine thing, so “these cars” is هٰذِهِ السَّيَّارَات (hādhihi as-sayyārāt).
• Order is fixed: demonstrative, then noun. Arabic says هٰذَا الكِتَاب (hādhā al-kitāb), “this the-book”, never the noun first.

Compared with…

• The definite article ال (al-). Demonstratives lean on ال (al-): a following noun must usually carry ال (al-) to make the phrase “this/that X”. Review how ال (al-) works, including sun and moon letters, on The Arabic Definite Article ال (al-).
• Demonstrative vs plain “the”. هٰذَا الكِتَاب (hādhā al-kitāb) is “this book”, while just الكِتَاب (al-kitāb) is “the book” — the demonstrative adds the pointing. More patterns are in the Arabic grammar section.

Practice

Quick recap before you practise.

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Learn the article these phrases rely on: The Arabic Definite Article ال (al-)
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