The purpose of this list is to give a rough idea of the Hausa language. The words listed below are not the most common words, but a broad sampling of words. See the Word Lists page for more details.
| English | Hausa |
| I | ni |
| you (singular) | kai |
| he | shi |
| we | mu |
| you (plural) | ku |
| they | su |
| this | wannan |
| that | wancan |
| here | nan |
| there | can |
| who | wa *(interrogative)* |
| what | me *(interrogative)* |
| where | ina *(no movement, interrogative)* |
| when | yaushe *(interrogative)* |
| how | yaya *(interrogative)* |
| not | ba … |
| all | duk |
| many | da yawa |
| some | waɗansu |
| few | kaɗan |
| other | wancan |
| one | ɗaya |
| two | biyu |
| three | uku |
| four | huɗu |
| five | biyar |
| big | babba |
| long | dogo |
| wide | mai faɗi |
| thick | mai kauri |
| heavy | mai nauyi |
| small | ƙarami |
| short | gajere |
| narrow | mai ƙunci |
| thin | siriri |
| woman | mace |
| man (adult male) | mutum |
| man (human being) | ɗan Adam |
| child | yaro *(boy)*, yarinya *(girl)* |
| wife | mata |
| husband | miji |
| mother | uwa |
| father | uba |
| animal | dabba |
| fish | kifi |
| bird | tsuntsu |
| dog | kare |
| louse | kwarkwa |
| snake | maciji |
| worm | tsutsa |
| tree | itace |
| forest | ƙungurmin daji |
| stick | sanda |
| fruit | ’ya’yan itace |
| seed | iri |
| leaf | ganye |
| root | saiwa |
| bark (of a tree) | ɓawon itace |
| flower | fure |
| grass | ciyawa |
| rope | igiya |
| skin | fata |
| meat | nama |
| blood | jini |
| bone | ƙashi |
| fat (noun) | ƙiba, mai |
| egg | ƙwai |
| horn | ƙaho |
| tail | wutsiya |
| feather | gashin tsuntsu |
| hair | suma |
| head | kai |
| ear | kunne |
| eye | ido |
| nose | hanci |
| mouth | baki |
| tooth | haƙori |
| tongue (organ) | harshe |
| fingernail | farce |
| foot | ƙafa |
| leg | ƙafa |
| knee | gwiwa |
| hand | hannu |
| wing | fiffike |
| belly | ciki |
| guts | hanji |
| neck | wuya |
| back | baya |
| breast | nono, ƙirji |
| heart | zuciya |
| liver | hanta |
| to drink | sha |
| to eat | ci |
| to bite | ciza |
| to suck | tsotsa |
| to spit | tofa |
| to vomit | yi amai |
| to blow | busa, hura |
| to breathe | yi numfashi |
| to laugh | yi dariya |
| to see | gani |
| to hear | ji |
| to know | sani |
| to think | yi tsammani |
| to smell | sansana |
| to fear | tsoro |
| to sleep | yi barci |
| to live | yi rai |
| to die | mutu |
| to kill | kashe |
| to fight | yi fada |
| to hunt | yi farauta |
| to hit | buga |
| to cut | yanka |
| to split | raba |
| to stab | soka |
| to scratch | karce |
| to dig | haƙa |
| to swim | yi iyo |
| to fly | tashi |
| to walk | yi tafiya a ƙas |
| to come | zo |
| to lie (as in a bed) | yi kwanciya *(action)*, kwanta *(state)* |
| to sit | zauna *(action, state)* |
| to stand | miƙe tsaye *(action)*, tsaya *(state)* |
| to turn (intransitive) | juya |
| to fall | faɗi |
| to give | ba |
| to hold | riƙe |
| to squeeze | matsa |
| to rub | goge |
| to wash | wanke |
| to wipe | shafa |
| to pull | ja |
| to push | tura |
| to throw | jefa |
| to tie | ɗaura |
| to sew | ɗinka |
| to count | ƙidaya |
| to say | ce |
| to sing | rera waƙa |
| to play | yi wasa |
| to float | taso kan ruwa |
| to flow | gudana |
| to freeze | daskara |
| to swell | kumbura |
| sun | rana |
| moon | wata |
| star | tauraro |
| water | ruwa |
| rain | ruwan sama |
| river | kogi |
| lake | tabki |
| sea | teku |
| salt | gishiri |
| stone | dutse |
| sand | rairayi |
| dust | ƙurar ƙasa |
| earth | kasa |
| cloud | gajimare |
| fog | hazo |
| sky | sama |
| wind | iska |
| snow | ƙanƙara |
| ice | ayis, galas |
| smoke | hayaƙi |
| fire | wuta |
| ash | toka |
| to burn | ƙone |
| road | haniya |
| mountain | babban dutse |
| red | ja |
| green | kore |
| yellow | rawaya |
| white | fari |
| black | baƙi |
| night | dare |
| day | rana, yini |
| year | shekara |
| warm | mai ɗumi |
| cold | mai sanyi |
| full | cikakke |
| new | sabo |
| old | tsoho |
| good | mai kyau |
| bad | maras kyau |
| rotten | ruɓaɓɓe |
| dirty | mai dauɗa |
| straight | miƙaƙƙe |
| round | mai da’ira |
| sharp (as a knife) | mai kaifi |
| dull (as a knife) | maras kaifi |
| smooth | mai santsi |
| wet | jiƙaƙƙe |
| dry | maras laima |
| correct | madaidaici |
| near | kusa da |
| far | mai nisa |
| right | dama |