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Here is the breakdown of these three expressions. Level 1 "This (masculine)." هٰذَا Hādhā Word by word: هٰذَا (hādhā) → this (masculine) هٰذَا is a demonstrative pronoun used to point to something near and masculine. It is one of the first words you learn because it unlocks every sentence that names something. You pair it with a noun: هٰذَا مَكْتَب (this is a desk), هٰذَا كُرْسِي (this is a chair). The alif at the end is silent. You say hādhā, not hādhā-a. Level 2 "What is this?" مَا هٰذَا؟ Mā hādhā? Word by word: مَا (mā) → what هٰذَا (hādhā) → this (masculine) مَا is the question word for asking "what" about non-living things. When you add it before هٰذَا, you turn a statement into a question. No verb needed. Just two words: What this? Arabic allows this compression because the structure carries the meaning. Level 3 "What is this (feminine)?" مَا هٰذِهِ؟ Mā hādhihi? Word by word: مَا (mā) → what هٰذِهِ (hādhihi) → this (feminine) هٰذِهِ is the feminine form of هٰذَا. You use it when pointing to a feminine noun: هٰذِهِ وَرَقَة (this is paper), هٰذِهِ سَيَّارَة (this is a car). The ending ـهِ tells you the gender before the noun even appears. That is how Arabic builds clarity into every word. Watch this video to learn how to get fluent in Arabic: https://youtu.be/djyY0QYIoNU
