The five nouns / الأَسْماء الخَمْسة

Arabic dialects map

The Arabic five nouns, are particular nouns that see their case vowels (fatḥa, ḍamma and kasra) become, respectively, letters ا and و and ي positioned as 1st term of annexation (مُضاف). This only happens when their 2nd term of annexation (المُضاف إِليه) isn’t the 1st person singular pronoun ي (I/me).

Those are the five nouns:

أَب
أَخ
حَم
فُو
ذُو
father
brother
Father-in-law (of the wife)
mouth
the one that possess 
  • In the nominative case (مَرْفُوع) those nouns are going to end with the و
Abu Bakr is braveأَبُو بَكْرٍ شُجاع
The teacher’s brother is youngأَخُو المُعَلِّمِ صَغِيرٌ
Latifa’s father-in-law is in the houseحَمو لَطِيفةَ في البَيْتِ
The mouth of the man is openفو الرَجُلِ مَفْتوحٌ
The man that possess knowledge is wiseالرَجُلُ ذو العِلْمِ حَكِيم
  • In the accusative case (مَنْصُوب) those nouns are going to end with the ا
I saw Abu Bakrرَأَيْتُ أَبا بَكْرٍ
I waited for the teacher’s brotherاِنْتَظَرْتُ أَخِا المُعَلِّمِ
I welcomed Latifa’s father-in-lawرَحَّبْتُ حَما لَطِيفةَ
I opened the lion’s mouthفَتَحْتُ فا الأَسَدِ 
I respect the one that has knowledgeأَحْتَرِمُ ذا العِلْمِ
  • In the genitive case (مَجْرُور) those nouns are going to end with the ي
I talked with Abu Bakrتَكَلَّمْتُ مَعَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ
I play with the teacher’s brotherألْعَبُ مَعَ أَخِي المُعَلِّمِ
The book belongs to Latifa’s father-in-lawالكِتابُ لِحَمِي لَطِيفةَ
The smell is from the lion’s mouthالرائِحةُ من في الأَسَدِ 
I am learning from the one with knowledgeأَتَعَّلَمُ مِنْ ذي العِلْمِ

Note: These rules are not applicable to dual and plural forms of the five nouns.

Note 2: فو is only used as a 1st term of annexation (مُضاف), for other usage we’ll prefer it’s equivalent فُمّ.

Note 3: ذو has only 2 different forms for each the dual and plural forms

الجَمْع (plural)
المُثَنّى (dual) 
المُفْرَد (singular)
ذوو / ذَِوِي
ذَوا / ذوَيْ
ذو / ذا / ذي
المُذَكَّر 
Masculine
ذوات 
ذواتا / ذواتَيْ
ذات
المُؤَنَّث
Feminine
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