ħu

See also: Appendix:Variations of "hu"

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ħuː/

Etymology 1

From Arabic أَخُو (ʔaḵū), construct form of أَخ (ʔaḵ, “brother”).

Noun

ħu m (plural aħwa or ħut, feminine oħt)

1. brother, male sibling

   ħuk ― your brother

   ħu ommha ― her mother’s brother, her maternal uncle

   • 1970, Anton Buttigieg, “Lis-Sena l-Ġdida 1964”, in Fl-Arena:

     X’sejra ġġibilna ġewwa l-fardal tiegħek.
     ja Sena Ġdida?
     Ah! biegħed minna
     il-għelt, il-ġlied,
     id-demm bejn l-aħwa;
     rażżan ir-regħba u l-ġibdiet tal-ħakma,
     rattab l-irjus u l-qlub,
     ġibilna s-sabar ta’ xulxin, l-imħabba,
     ġibilna l-għaqda,
     ġibilna s-sliem,
     ġibilna l-ħelsien!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• The singular of this word is used exclusively in the construct state, that is with a possessive suffix or with a following noun. The plural does not have this restriction, but it is equally the plural of oħt (“sister”) and thus means “siblings”. Meanings like “a brother” can only be paraphrased, e.g. wieħed mill-aħwa (literally “one of the siblings”). For “she has a brother”, one says għandha ħuha (literally “she has her brother”).

Inflection

Inflected forms
Personal-pronoun- including forms	singular		plural
	m	f
1st person	ħija		ħuna
2nd person	ħuk		ħukom
3rd person	ħuh	ħuha	ħuhom

Etymology 2

See the lemma.

Verb

ħu

1. imperative singular of ħa