من هذا؟
man hādhā?
The English phrase "who is that?" can be translated into Arabic as من هذا؟ (man hādhā?).
This phrase is a question used to ask for the identity of a person who is present or visible.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of man (who) and hādhā (this/that).
Which one should you use?
While من هذا؟ asks "who is this person?", the form من هو؟ specifically asks "who is he?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In colloquial Egyptian Arabic, people commonly use مين ده؟ instead of the formal من هذا؟.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can say دي مِين؟ to ask "Who is that?"
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the feminine form من هذه؟ if the person being identified is female.
How do you pronounce it?
man hādhā?
Did you know?
- In many Arabic cultures, pointing directly at someone while asking من هذا؟ can be seen as impolite or aggressive.
- Ancient Sumerian, the world's oldest written language, used a word ma-na that is a distant relative of the Arabic من.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, when someone asks 'who is that?', the answer might not be a name, but a description of the person's relation to the speaker, like 'my brother' or 'my friend'.
Example conversation
Layla and Ahmad are looking at a guest arriving at their house.
- ليلى Laylaمن هذا؟man hadha?Who is that?
- أحمد Ahmedهذا صديقي القديم.hadha sadiqi al-qadim.That is my old friend.
- ليلى Laylaهل هو هنا لزيارتك؟hal huwa huna li-ziyaratika?Is he here to visit you?
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، لقد جاء فجأة.na'am, laqad ja'a faj'atan.Yes, he came suddenly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries من, CC BY-SA 4.0.
