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 brave | أَبُو بَكْرٍ شُجاع |
The teacher’s brother is young | أَخُو المُعَلِّمِ صَغِيرٌ |
Latifa’s father-in-law is in the house | حَمو لَطِيفةَ في البَيْتِ |
The mouth of the man is open | فو الرَجُلِ مَفْتوحٌ |
The man that possess knowledge is wise | الرَجُلُ ذو العِلْمِ حَكِيم |
- In the accusative case (مَنْصُوب) those nouns are going to end with the ا
I saw Abu Bakr | رَأَيْتُ أَبا بَكْرٍ |
I waited for the teacher’s brother | اِنْتَظَرْتُ أَخِا المُعَلِّمِ |
I welcomed Latifa’s father-in-law | رَحَّبْتُ حَما لَطِيفةَ |
I opened the lion’s mouth | فَتَحْتُ فا الأَسَدِ |
I respect the one that has knowledge | أَحْتَرِمُ ذا العِلْمِ |
- In the genitive case (مَجْرُور) those nouns are going to end with the ي
I talked with Abu Bakr | تَكَلَّمْتُ مَعَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ |
I play with the teacher’s brother | ألْعَبُ مَعَ أَخِي المُعَلِّمِ |
The book belongs to Latifa’s father-in-law | الكِتابُ لِحَمِي لَطِيفةَ |
The smell is from the lion’s mouth | الرائِحةُ من في الأَسَدِ |
I am learning from the one with knowledge | أَتَعَّلَمُ 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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