hir

Hir is a gender-neutral pronoun used in English as a third-person reference. It is part of neopronoun sets developed to provide nonbinary alternatives to he and she. The pronoun is chosen by some individuals to reflect their gender identity, and is used in the same grammatical positions as traditional personal pronouns.

In typical usage, hir functions as the third-person singular pronoun, with related forms used to express different grammatical cases. Commonly cited forms include: hir as subject and object, hirs as possessive, and hirself as reflexive. Note that pronunciations and exact forms can vary by community or individual, and some speakers may prefer other neopronoun sets entirely.

History and reception: The term and its pronoun forms arose within feminist and LGBTQ+ communities in the late 20th century as part of attempts to expand gender language. Today, some dictionaries and style guides acknowledge neopronouns like hir and offer guidance, while others discourage them or defer to individual preferences. In any case, the correct approach is to use the pronouns someone specifies and to ask when unclear.

See also neopronouns and gender-neutral language.