Type 4 is the largest class of noun suffixes. It includes all possessive suffixes, as well as suffixes that correspond to English words like this and that.

Possessive Suffixes

The following suffixes indicate possession:

Examples:

• juH – home → juHwIj – home
• juHlIj – your home → juHchaj – their home

When the possessed noun refers to a being capable of using language, a special set of suffixes is preferred for first- and second-person possessors:

Examples:

• joH – lord → joHwI' – my lord
• puq – child → puqlI' – your child

While it is grammatically correct to use the general possessive suffixes with nouns referring to beings capable of speech (e.g., puqlIj your child), such usage is considered insulting or disrespectful. For example, joHwIj (my lord) would be seen as nearly taboo. Learners of Klingon should use the respectful forms in these cases.

Possessor Construction

To indicate that one noun possesses another (e.g., enemy's weapon), no possessive suffix is used. Instead, the possessor comes first, followed by the possessed:

• jagh nuH – enemy's weapon (literally: enemy weapon)

This structure is also used for phrases like weapon of the enemy. See also section 3.4 for more examples of noun-noun constructions.

Demonstrative Suffixes

Two suffixes indicate whether the noun refers to something close or far from the speaker:

-vam (that)

This indicates that the noun refers to something nearby or currently being discussed. Examples:

• nuH – weapon → nuHvam – this weapon (near me or the topic of discussion)
• yuQ – planet → yuQvam – this planet (that we have been talking about)

When used with plural nouns, -vam is translated as these:

• nuHmey – weapons → nuHmeyvam – these weapons

-vetlh (this)

This refers to something farther away or previously mentioned in the conversation. Examples:

• nuH – weapon → nuHvetlh – that weapon (over there)
• yuQ – planet → yuQvetlh – that planet (as opposed to the one we were just talking about)

With plural nouns, -vetlh means those:

• nuHmey – weapons → nuHmeyvetlh – those weapons

There are no Klingon equivalent for English articles like a, an, or the. In Klingon, nouns are used without such words, and context determines the correct English translation. This text uses a, an, and the in translations to make the English more natural.