In English we often say "This is mine", "Whose book? — Mine", using a possessive pronoun without a noun. Kyrgyz has special forms for exactly this purpose — absolute possessive pronouns (like English mine / yours / his).
🧠 Logic
Why are separate forms needed? In Kyrgyz the regular possessive suffixes (-ым, -ың) attach to the noun: китеб-им (my book). But what if there is no noun?
For this, the suffix -ныкы-дыкы-тыкы (and its vowel-harmony variants) is used, creating a standalone word meaning "belonging to someone".
🧮 Ready-Made Forms for Pronouns
For personal pronouns this suffix has already fused permanently. Just learn these 8 words:
| Pronoun | Absolute form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Мен | Меники | Mine |
| Сен | Сеники | Yours |
| Сиз | Сиздики | Yours (formal) |
| Ал | Аныкы | His / Hers |
| Биз | Биздики | Ours |
| Силер | Силердики | Yours (group) |
| Сиздер | Сиздердики | Yours (formal group) |
| Алар | Алардыкы | Theirs |
💡 Compare the Difference in Use
| Regular possessive | Absolute possessive |
|---|---|
| Бул менин китебим. | Бул китеп меники. |
| This is my book. | This book is mine. |
In the first case we're describing the book. In the second, we're answering the question "Whose?"
🧮 How to Attach the Suffix to Other Words?
The beauty of this suffix is that it can attach to any noun or name. The rule for choosing the first letter (Н, Д or Т) is exactly the same as for the genitive case (-нын/-дын/-тын).
Depending on the last letter of the word, choose the right variant (and adjust the vowels according to vowel harmony):
| Last letter of word | Suffix | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel | -ныкы-ники-нуку-нүкү | Баланыкы | (Belonging) to the child |
| Voiced consonant (incl. sonorants) | -дыкы-дики-дуку-дүкү | Кыздыкы, Айгүлдүкү, Апамдыкы | The girl's, Aigul's, Mum's |
| Voiceless consonant | -тыкы-тики-туку-түкү | Мараттыкы, Мектептики | Marat's, The school's |
💡 The Question Word: КИМДИКИ? (Whose?)
This is the most important question word on this topic. To ask "Whose is this thing?", we take the word Ким (Who) and attach our suffix (after voiced "М" comes voiced "Д").
The result is the useful word Кимдики? (Whose?)
Real-life examples:
— Бул телефон кимдики? (Whose phone is this?) — Бул Мараттыкы. (It's Marat's.)
— Ушул сумка сеникиби? (Is this bag yours?) — we added the question particle «-би» — Жок, меники эмес, Айгүлдүкү. (No, it's not mine, it's Aigul's.)
🗣️ Conversational Use: "Going to someone's place"
There's another very handy use of this suffix in conversation. If you attach it to a person's name and then add a directional case, it means "to someone's place / to visit someone" (like French chez).
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Биз Айгүлдүкүнө баратабыз. | We're going to Aigul's (place). |
| Мен Мараттыкында жүрөм. | I'm at Marat's (place). |
💡 Note: case endings can be added to absolute possessives!
- Меникини алдым — I took mine (accusative)
- Сеникиден жакшы — Better than yours (ablative)
See also:
- Possessive Suffixes — My, your (-ым, -ың)
- Personal Pronouns — Мен, Сен, Ал...
- Genitive Case — rules for choosing Н/Д/Т
- Dative Case — direction (-га/-ка/-а)
- Accusative Case — direct object (-ны/-ни)
- Ablative Case — "from where" (-дан/-тан)
- Question Particle — -бы/-пы/-бы/-пы
- Vowel Harmony — vowel harmony