هُوَ in English: he – meaning, pronunciation, examples

Other meanings

هُوَ huwa — it (masculine) · it (referring to a masculine noun)
هُوَ huwa — he is · he is (used before a predicate)

How to use it

The pronoun 'huwa' (هو) means 'he' and is used for the third-person masculine singular. It can also refer to masculine inanimate objects. In sentences where 'huwa' comes before a noun or adjective (the predicate), it effectively means 'he is' or 'it is'.

Example sentences

هُوَ طَالِبٌ مُجْتَهِدٌ.

huwa ṭālibun mujtahidun.

He is a diligent student.
هَذَا كِتَابٌ. هُوَ مُفِيدٌ.

hadhā kitābun. huwa mufīdun.

This is a book. It is useful.
مَنْ هَذَا؟ هُوَ أَحْمَدُ.

man hadhā? huwa ʾaḥmadu.

Who is this? He is Ahmed.

Examples from real texts

Sentences taken from published bilingual texts (subtitles, documents). They show the word in context and are not reviewed one by one.

كل من هُوَ وحيد، وحيد لأنه خائف من الآخرين.

Every person who is alone is alone because they are afraid of others.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between 'huwa' and 'hiya'?

'Huwa' (هو) is used for masculine subjects ('he' or 'it' referring to a masculine noun), while 'hiya' (هي) is used for feminine subjects ('she' or 'it' referring to a feminine noun).

When do I use 'huwa' to mean 'he is'?

You use 'huwa' when you are identifying someone or something. For example, 'Huwa muhandis' (هو مهندس) means 'He is an engineer'.