---
title: "Possessive pronouns: mijn, jouw, zijn, haar"
level: A1
chapter: "Pronouns"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/possessive-pronouns
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Possessive pronouns: mijn, jouw, zijn, haar

To say whose something is, you put a possessive pronoun (a word that shows who owns something, like my or your) in front of the noun: _mijn fiets_, _jouw jas_, _haar huis_. Most of them line up neatly with English. The two surprises: _je_ is the everyday short form of both _jouw_ and _jullie_, and _zijn_ means both his and its.

## The pattern

> Put the possessive pronoun before the noun and choose it by the owner, not by the thing. In everyday Dutch it keeps the same form, except _ons_, which becomes _onze_ before de-words and plurals.

- _ik_: _mijn_ (my)
- _jij_: _jouw_, or unstressed _je_ (your, one person, informal)
- _u_: _uw_ (your, polite)
- _hij_ and _het_: _zijn_ (his, its)
- _zij_ (she): _haar_ (her)
- _wij_: _ons_ or _onze_ (our; see [Ons or onze?](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/ons-or-onze))
- _jullie_: _jullie_, or _je_ (your, more than one person)
- _zij_ (they): _hun_ (their)

## Examples

| Dit is **mijn** fiets. | This is my bike. |
| Wat is **je** telefoonnummer? | What is your phone number? |
| Is dat **jouw** tas of **mijn** tas? | Is that your bag or my bag? |
| Mag ik **uw** paspoort zien? | May I see your passport? |
| Daan zoekt **zijn** sleutels. | Daan is looking for his keys. |
| De hond wil **zijn** eten. | The dog wants its food. |
| Fatima belt **haar** moeder. | Fatima calls her mother. |
| **Onze** buren zijn heel aardig. | Our neighbours are very nice. |
| Hebben jullie **je** kaartjes? | Do you all have your tickets? |
| De kinderen fietsen met **hun** vader naar school. | The children cycle to school with their father. |

## Why it works this way

Each possessive grows out of a subject pronoun you already know, so learn them in pairs: _ik_ and _mijn_, _jij_ and _jouw_, _wij_ and _ons_. In [Hij, het or zij for things](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/it-for-things) you saw that most things are _hij_ or _het_. Both share one possessive, _zijn_, so Dutch has no separate word for its: _de hond en zijn bal_, _het huis en zijn tuin_.

Choose by the owner. Spanish _su_ can mean his, her or their, and German _ihr_ can mean her or their. Dutch keeps them apart: _Fatima belt haar moeder_ (her own mother), _Daan belt zijn moeder_, _Daan en Sanne bellen hun moeder_ (the mother of both).

The pair _jouw_ and _je_ behaves like _jij_ and _je_ (see [Jij or je?](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/stressed-unstressed)). The light form _je_ is what you hear all day: _Hoe gaat het met je moeder?_ Use _jouw_ when you want to stress whose something is, usually in a contrast. For a group, _jullie_ is the full form, and when _jullie_ is already the subject, Dutch speakers often switch to _je_ to avoid saying it twice.

The polite _uw_ belongs to _u_. At the _gemeente_ or the GP you will often hear _uw naam_ and _uw adres_.

One formal detail: in official writing, _haar_ can also mean its for feminine de-words such as _de gemeente_: _de gemeente en haar inwoners_. In everyday speech many people use _zijn_ here too, so for now you only need to recognise this _haar_.

Remember: _je_ is your default. Switch to _jouw_ when you want to stress whose it is, as in _jouw tas of mijn tas_.

## Watch out

- Not: _Dit is ons fiets._ Say: _Dit is onze fiets._ (_fiets_ is a de-word, so _onze_)
- Not: _Is dit jou jas?_ Say: _Is dit jouw jas?_ (_jou_ is the object form, meaning you; your is _jouw_, with a w)
- Not: _Wat is u naam?_ Say: _Wat is uw naam?_ (_u_ means you; before a noun you need _uw_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the gap: _De hond zoekt ... bal._ (its)
2. Fill in the gap with the polite form: _Mevrouw, mag ik ... paspoort zien?_
3. Fix the sentence: _Dat is onze huis._
4. Fill in the gap: _Joris en Mei fietsen met ... kinderen naar het park._ (their)

## Answers

1. _zijn_ (Dutch uses _zijn_ for its)
2. _uw_ (the polite your that goes with _u_)
3. _Dat is ons huis._ (_huis_ is a het-word, so _ons_)
4. _hun_ (two owners)

## Use it today

Next time you lock your bike, say _Dit is mijn fiets_ to yourself. Then ask a colleague or neighbour one question with _je_, such as _Hoe was je weekend?_, and listen for _mijn_ in the answer.

## Questions learners ask

**What are the possessive pronouns in Dutch?**

They are mijn (my), jouw or je (your), uw (your, polite), zijn (his, its), haar (her), ons or onze (our), jullie or je (your, plural) and hun (their). They go before the noun, as in mijn fiets or hun huis.

**What is the difference between jouw and je in Dutch?**

Both mean your when you speak informally to one person. Je is the normal unstressed form you use most of the time, and jouw is for when you want to stress whose something is, often in a contrast such as "Is dat jouw tas of mijn tas?"

**How do you say its in Dutch?**

Dutch usually uses zijn for its, with both de-words and het-words: de hond en zijn bal, het huis en zijn tuin. In formal writing you may also see haar for feminine nouns, as in de gemeente en haar inwoners.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.