Originally published to meet the need for a practical dictionary both for native Hausa speakers and for those wishing to learn or improve their knowledge of the language, the dictionary has remained in demand since publication. Compiled by the Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages in Kano as a concise, compact and readily usable tool, the selection of words has been limited to those likely to occur in everyday conversation, books, newspapers and other mass media. It includes a large number of modern words adopted into Hausa. Main entries give spelling and punctuation, variant spellings and cross-references, and special notations for verbs. Grammatical categories, or parts of speech, give verbs and verbal nouns, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, prepositions and ideophones. Guidance is also given on definitions and usage.
