People and family in Arabic
195 words in Arabic on the topic “people and family”: صديق — friend, عائلة — family, أم — mom, أب — dad.
195 words on the topic
- صديقсадийкfriendThe emphatic s at the start. A woman friend is sadiiqa, and the plural is asdiqaa
- عائلةʿааʾиляfamilyFrom ʿaaʾila — a clan: family in the wide sense, with grandparents and cousins. The hamza in the middle sits on an alif
- أمуммmomThe shadda mm is long. Ummi — "my mom" — is also said to an older woman from respect
- أبабdadThe affectionate form is baa — baa, the syllable babies babble everywhere. The formal ab lives in documents
- طفلтифльchildThe t is emphatic. Two children are tiflaan: the dual with -aan on the end, as in ithnaan
- بائعбааиʿsellerFrom the verb "to sell", with the ayn in the middle — that squeezed throat. The seller woman is baaʾiʿa, and at the market it is her in nine cases out of ten
- زبونзабуунbuyerThe same word means "customer": in a cafe, a taxi, a shop they are all zabuun. The long uu in the middle stretches
- إنسانинсаанhumanA human in general, any of the people. The plural is unaas: "people" and "folk" are one word for every case
- رجلраджульmanIt is written on men’s room doors exactly so — rajul. Both "a man" and "a husband": one word holds both roles
- امرأةимрааwomanIn writing a hamza sits inside: im-ra-ʾa. It stands on the ladies’ room doors too, and the pluralnisaaʾ looks nothing like the singular
- شابшаббyoung manThe doubled bb stretches: shab-b. From shabaab — youth; the street call yaa shabb! — hey, lad! — is heard on every corner
- فتاةфатааyoung womanThe partner of shabb: a young man and a young woman. In the mouths of relatives fataa is both "girl" and an endearment to the younger one
- شيخшейхold manThe "sheikh" of the newspapers. In everyday Arabic it is simply an older person one addresses with respect; a scholar and the head of a family are a shaykh too
- غريبгарибstrangerOne word for "alien", "strange" and "stranger": context tells them apart. About a person it is "alien", about a habit "strange"
- حشدхашдcrowdFrom the verb "to crowd together". The crowd at the market on Saturday is hashd, and in military speech the same word means a detachment
- جارджарneighbourTwo neighbours are jaraan: the dual you already know. An Arab proverb says one chooses the neighbour before the house
- ابنибнsonIbn — son — is the same word that stands in name chains: Ahmad ibn Muhammad is Ahmad, son of Muhammad. "My son" is ibnii, and the -i on the end is that very "my"
- أجنبيаджнабийforeignerFrom janab — a side: the foreigner is "a person from another side". A woman is ajnabiyya, and in the plural ajaanib
- موظف الاستقبالмууаззаф аль-истикбаальreceptionistLiterally "the employee of receiving": muwaadhdhaf is "one in service", from waafiya — the job word you have already met. A woman is muwaadhdhafa
- صيادсийяадfishermanThe doubled yy stretches: siyy-aad. From the verb "to hunt": the fisherman is a "hunter of the sea", and his goods at the market are the earliest
- شعرшаʿрhairBoth hair and verses: poetry in Arab culture is as close to the body as a haircut. Hair is counted collectively, with no tally
- طويل القامةтауииль аль-каамаtallLiterally "long of stature": qaama is height, and about a tall person an Arab says exactly so. A bare tawiil about a person is possible, but this is politer
- قصير القامةкасиир аль-каамаshort (of a person)The partner of "long of stature": "short of stature". About people an Arab is more careful than about things: a bare qasiir sounds rough
- صغير في السنсагиир фи ас-синнyoungLiterally "small of years": sinn is both a tooth and an age — you have seen it. "Young" an Arab builds through age, not a separate word
- لحيةлихьяbeardFrom the root "to hang": the beard is what hangs. To wear it or to shave it is one’s own business, and you will meet both in the street equally
- شنبшанабmoustacheFrom the same root as lihya: moustache and beard are one nest. Abu shanaab — "father of the moustache" — is an affectionate nickname for the moustached neighbour
- نحيفнахиифthinA long ii in the middle: nahii f. About a person and about a cat they say it alike — and it is not an insult, just an observation
- سمينсамиинfatThe partner of nahii f. About the cat with tenderness, about oneself with a sigh — the word is the same
- وسيمвасимhandsomeA compliment to a man; about a woman an Arab will say it otherwise — about the beauty of the face. Wasim and jamiil are not synonyms: the first is about looks, the second about beauty in general
- مظهرмазхарlooksFrom the verb "to appear": looks are how a person "appears" before the eyes. "By looks" an Arab says fa al-mazhar — a turn of phrase for every day
- لطيفлатиифkindBoth kind and pleasant: latiif is what one feels good with. This is the first word an Arab will use about any sweet person
- مرحмарахcheerfulA kin of marhaba by sound, but in sense — "cheerful". The h is the light throaty one, and the word sounds like a smile
- ذكيзакийcleverThe first letter is the interdental dh, tongue between the teeth. From the same root as zakaʾ — purity: the mind in Arabic is "clean"
- شريرшариирwickedIn the tales shariir is the obligatory character: the wicked sorcerer, the wicked wolf. The partner of latiif, and in life it is met less often than in books
- هادئхаадиʾcalmA hamza on the end — a break: haa-di-ʾ. A person, the sea, a street at night — everything can be haadiʾ
- مؤدبмуʾаддабpoliteFrom adab — upbringing: polite is "well-brought-up", and for Arabs that is one and the same. The doubled dd stretches: mu-ʾad-dab
- كسولкасуульlazyThe long uu pulls the word like the lazy one: ka-suul. From it kasaal — laziness — and on a Saturday morning it knows everybody
- شجاعшуджааʿbraveThe ayn on the end stretches: shujaa-ʿ. From the same root shajaaʿa — courage, and the praise shujaaʿ sounds like a compliment to a warrior
- صادقсаадикhonestThe same root as sadiiq — a friend: a friend is the one who tells the truth. Honesty and friendship are one nest in Arabic
- طبعтабʿcharacterFrom "nature": character is what a person was born with. Ṭabʿan — "of course" — is literally "by nature", and you will meet that word in the next lesson
- نادلнадильwaiterOne calls him with afwan or a light hail — shouting is not done. A woman is naadila, and in family restaurants she minds her own hall
- لعبة أطفالлуʿбат атфаальtoyLiterally "the play of the children": the toy needs no separate word for an Arab — it is the children’s luʿba. Look for the shop with this sign in the yard, not in the centre
- عروسʿаруусbrideFrom the same root as ʿurs: the bride is ʿaruus, the main one of the evening. The white dress is fustaan abyaḍ — the words from the fitting room
- عريسʿариисgroomThe partner of the bride: ʿariis is the groom. One letter tells them apart in writing, and by ear they stand close too
- تزوجтазавваджаto marryFrom zawj — a pair: tazawwaja — got himself a pair. The verb is one for both: the English "marry" covers it the same way
- طلاقталаакdivorceA word of the law and of family life at once: talaaq. It is spoken of quietly, but every adult knows it
- الوالدانаль-ваалидаанparentsThe dual at work: parents are waalidaan — "two begetters". The -aan form you know from ithnaan — two — and here it is, inside the family
- أخахbrotherA short word with a hamza at the start: akh. "Brotherhood" is of the same root, and an Arab calls a friend akh almost every day
- أختухтsisterThe partner of brother: ukht. A hamza at the start and a long a in the middle — a short word holding a whole family
- جدةджаддаgrandmotherThe grandmother is jadda: the doubled dd stretches tenderly. From the same root "majesty" — for an Arab the grandmother is the head of the house
- جدджаддgrandfatherThe grandfather is jadd, the partner of jadda. The doubled dd is short and firm — and the same word means "majesty"
- عمّʿаммuncle (father’s side)The uncle on the father’s side is ʿamm — the doubled m stretches. On the mother’s side it is khaal, and an Arab keeps the family lines strictly apart
- عمّةʿаммаaunt (father’s side)The aunt on the father’s side is ʿamma, the partner of ʿamm. On the mother’s side — khaala, and mixing them up in the family is costly
- حفيدхафиидgrandsonFrom the familiar hafiza — to keep: the grandson is hafiid, the one who keeps the kin. Kin in Arabic is memory, and the word is honest about it
- أقاربакаарибrelativeFrom qariib — close: the relatives are "the near ones". A collective word with the whole kin behind it — the distant kin too
- ابن العمибн аль-ʿаммcousin (male)Literally "the son of the uncle": for the cousin an Arab spells out the kinship rather than keeping a separate word. The same formula gives the cousin (female)
- أطفالатфаальchildrenA collective: children are atfaal, the plural of tifl, which you know. A broken form: the root is the same, the look is another
- ولدвальадboyThe boy is walad: the same word means "a child in general". Context tells; for precision they add saghiir — little
- بنتбинтgirlThe girl is bint: literally "a daughter". A grown young woman stays bint for an Arab until she becomes a zawja — a wife
- ابنةибнаdaughterThe daughter is ibna: the feminine partner of ibn — the son. The same formula built ibn al-ʿamm — the cousin — which you know
- كم عمرك؟кам ʿумрук؟how old are you?Literally "how much [is] your age": an Arab does not count age in years — he has it. An ear-trap: ʿumr is the age, ʿamm the uncle
- بالغбаалигadultFrom the verb "to reach": the adult is baaligh — the one who arrived. One becomes adult for an Arab not by the passport but by responsibility
- مراهقмараахикteenagerFrom the verb "to approach": the teenager is muraahiq — "the one approaching" adulthood. The word is honest: he is not there yet, but already on the way
- رضيعразииʿinfantThe infant is raḍiiʿ: a tender word, from "to nurse". The baby at the breast an Arab calls so until the first steps
- عمرʿумрageThe age is ʿumr: what has been lived. "My age is twenty years" is ʿumri ʿishruun ʿaaman — and the verb "to be" is not needed
- عمري ثلاثون عاماʿумри салясуун ʿааманI am thirtyLiterally "my age [is] thirty years": an age has no existence without its owner, and it holds on by the ending -ii. The numbers past twenty assemble simply: "three-ten"
- مجعّدмуджаʿʿадcurlyFrom the root "to coil": curls are named as coils, like those of a rope. Hair is an Arab's pride, and mudjaʿʿad is a compliment rather to a boy than to a grown man
- أصلعаслаʿbaldThe ending -aʿ betrays an old adjective: bald is "scalded", like a mountain without growth. The word is neutral, but it is said more about age than about style
- أشيَبашийбgrey-hairedA relative of shaykh — an old man is called grey for wisdom, not for years. Greyness is shayb, and turning grey is a pride, not a misfortune
- طولтуульheightLiterally "length": of a person one asks not "what is your height" but "what is your length". The same word measures a dress and a road — Arabic does not split height from length
- نحيفнахиифslimAdjectives in -iif describe a permanent property of the body. Nahiif as praise is rarer than the English "slim": more often it speaks of thinness from illness
- متوسط الطولмутавассит ат-туульof medium heightLiterally "medium in length": height is described by a participle with a preposition, not a single word. "Middle-aged" and "of medium weight" are built the same way
- كريمкариимgenerousThe very name Karim — it means "generous". Generosity is the chief praise of a host: pouring coffee to the brim is kariim, leaving half a cup is not
- صبورсабуурpatientFrom the root of "to endure": the same root said to a sick person in place of a wish for recovery. Patience among Arabs is the virtue of the caravan driver
- مجتهدмуджтахидhardworkingA participle of "to strive": the one who puts himself into it is mujtahid. To a pupil it is said with pride, and the same word means a scholar-interpreter: diligence raises one to a title
- موثوقмаусуукreliableA participle of "to trust": literally "who is trusted". Thus a contractor is labelled in a contract, and the neighbour who is left the keys
- متواضعмутаваадиʿmodestA participle of "to yield": the modest one is the first to give up his place. The opposite is mutakabbir, "haughty" — and the difference between them is the whole ethics of a guest
- اجتماعيиджтимааийsociableFrom ijtimaaʿ, "a gathering": the sociable one is "gathered of people" — the one a company gathers around. The same adjective is in "social network", which you already know
- مهتمмухтаммcaringA participle of "to care": literally "occupied with someone". Care here is attention, not bustle: a muhtamm is the one who noticed you had nobody to lunch with
- جديджиддийseriousA relative of jadd, "grandfather": seriousness in Arabic shares a root with venerable age. "No joking" in Arabic is bi-l-jidd — literally "with seriousness"
- مؤدبмуʾаддабwell-manneredA participle of "to bring up": what was done to you at home, not what you did yourself. To an adult, muʾaddab is praise of the family — upbringing among Arabs is a shared affair
- حس الفكاهةхисс аль-фукаахаa sense of humorLiterally "the sense of joking": humor is a sense organ that can be trained. Hiss is the same "sensitive" as in hasasiyya, allergy: sensitivity to a joke and to nuts alike
- بخيلбахиильstingyA word of parables: the miser of Arab tales is a bakhii l, usually drawn with a purse under the pillow. Stinginess here is more about hiding than about money: a bakhii l will not give you a match
- عنيدʿаниидstubbornThe ʿayn at the start marks an old quality adjective: ʿaniid is the one who turns away and does not come back. Stubbornness here is not a character but a way to refuse
- فظфаззrudeThe shadda doubles the z: "fazz" — a short word with a long ring
- وقحвакихbrazenThe q and kh stand close: "waqih", with a light vowel between
- ماكرмаакирcunningA participle of "to weave plots": cunning here is work, not an inborn knack. The fox of Arab fables is maakir — and the word praises rarely
- ثرثارсарсаарa chatterboxA sound-imitating word: sar-sar — and the chatter begins. The talkative one is doubly dangerous: he will let out your secret and someone else's
- مشتتмуштаттabsent-mindedA participle of "to scatter": the attention is scattered like beads on the floor. The picture explains the word by itself
- سريع الغضبсарииʿ аль-гадабhot-temperedLiterally "quick of anger": quick-temperedness is speed, not passion. Ghadab, anger, you know — here it became a label: like lightning, the sariiʿ strikes and subsides
- لا مباليля мубаалиindifferentLiterally "I do not count it (important)": indifference here is not laziness but a score a person refuses to keep. It is said of things too: laa mubaali — "all the same, no difference"
- معتادмуʿтаадa habitFrom ʿaada, "to return": a habit is what you return to every day. A relative of ʿaadat, custom: both are a return — one in a life, the other in a people
- صديقةсыдиикаa female friendThe same sadiiq with the feminine ending: exactly a friend, not a girlfriend — no special label is coined for the latter. Sadiiqati, "my friend", sounds like "my close person"
- مألوفмаʾлюуфfamiliarLiterally "accustomed": a familiar one is he whose voice and walk you already tell apart. The opposite is gariib, the stranger — a word you already know from "strange"
- موهبةмавхибаa talentFrom wahaba, "to grant": a talent is a gift given from above. Feminine mawhiba, like almost everything ending in -a
- وُلدتвулидтуto be bornA passive of the past: not "I was born" as an act but "I was made born" — wulidtu. The year of birth is sanat al-milaad — the same word as in Christmas
- الطفولةат-туфууляchildhoodThe article with "at-": at-tufuula. From tifl, "a child": childhood is "child-hood" in the most direct sense. Youth waits one word ahead: shabaab
- الشبابаш-шабаабyouthShabb, "a young man", you had; ash-shabaab is youth and young people at once. Arabic makes no distinction between "adolescence" and "young years": one word for both
- حياة البالغينхаяат аль-баалигийнadult lifeLiterally "the life of the grown-ups": hayaat, "life", and baaligh, "adult", are both familiar. Arabic does not have a separate "adulthood" — it calls it exactly this: the life of adults
- جيلджиильa generationFrom the turning of time: a generation is one full turn of life. "From generation to generation" is min jiil ila jiil — and it sounds just as simple
- مسقط الرأسмаскыт ар-раасone's hometownLiterally "the place where the head fell": masqat is "a place of falling", raas is "the head" — where the head "landed" into this world. There is no "native" here: Arabic describes the very moment of birth
- عاش في الدولة خمس سنواتʿааша фи ад-дауля хамс санаваатto live in a country for five yearsʿAasha, "lived", comes from ʿaysh, "life": "lived through" and "lived" are one. The term stands before the years, and after five the plural comes: khams sanawaat
- ذكرياتзикраяатmemoriesA relative of "anniversary": a memory and a commemorative date are one word in two shapes. Arabic memories are always plural: one rarely remembers them singly
- صورة قديمةсуура гадимаan old photographThe photograph, suura, you had; qadiim, "old", too. In Arabic a photograph is exactly "old", not "of long ago": qadiim is about a thing's age
- القدرаль-кадарfateThe q is deep, from the throat: al-qadar. From qadara, "to measure and determine": fate is a "measure" meted out in advance. A frequent word in talk of the future, without any pathos
- يبدأ حياة جديدةйябдаʾ хаяат джадидаto start a new lifeAll familiar: yabdaʾ — begins, hayaat — life, jadiida — new. Life in Arabic "begins" and "continues" — the verb "to end" is not allowed it
- يشكّل أسرةйяшаккиль усраto start a familyA family is not "started" but "formed": shakkala, "to give shape", is the same word as in "figure". Usra is the near, household family, unlike ʾaila, the wider kin
- غنيганийrichFrom ghaniya, "to be sufficient": rich is "the one with surplus", he who has enough and over. Wealth is ghinaa — and the word says nothing of whether it was earned
- فقيرфакийрpoorFrom faqira, "to lack": poor is "the needy one". Poverty as a state is faqr — the root is heard in both words at once
- رفيق الغرفةрафик аль-гурфаa roommateLiterally "the companion of the room": rafiiq, "a travel companion", and ghurfa, "a room" — both halves familiar. Arabic sees neighbourhood not through a wall but through a shared room
- صديق الطفولةсадиик ат-туфууляa childhood friendLiterally "the friend of childhood": sadiiq, "a friend", and tufuula, "childhood" — both halves familiar. The idafa glues them without a preposition: whose friend? — of childhood
- قريب بعيدгарииб баʿиидa distant relativeLiterally "a near one, far": qariib, "near", already means "a relative" — one who is blood-near — and baʿiid, "far", shows the degree. A play on words Arabic does not explain — it is heard
- تربية الأطفالтарабият аль-атфаальraising childrenLiterally "the raising of children": tarbiya, "upbringing", comes from rabbaa, "to raise and grow" — the same root as the Lord and the pupil. To bring up is to grow
- مشهورмашхуурfamousA participle of ashhara, "to spread the word": famous is "spread abroad", like a piece of news. Fame and news are one family: what everyone talks about
- قويгавийstrongOne word for the strong man, the strong coffee and the strong rain: qawiyy is everything that holds out. Weak is daʿiif — and the pair lives through all the body lessons
- خطوبةхатубаan engagementThe engagement is khatuuba: from "to speak with the suitors". At this step the ring is called "the ring of the engagement"
- خاتم الزفافхатам аз-зафаафthe wedding ringKhaatam is "a ring"; zafaaf is "the wedding". It is worn on the left hand, as everywhere
- فستان الزفافфустаан аз-зафаафthe wedding dressYou have met "a dress"; the wedding one is zafaaf. White is the main color of an Arab wedding, as everywhere
- عروسانʿарусаанthe newlywedsThe dual: he and she — ʿaruusaan, the newlyweds. The singular is ʿaruus, "a bride"
- شهر العسلшахр аль-ʿасальthe honeymoonLiterally "the month of honey": ʿasal, "honey", is your word from the second wave. Among Arabs it is just as sweet and just as first
- حفل الانتقالхафль аль-интикаальa housewarmingH afl is "a celebration"; intiqaal is "the move". A housewarming is a "feast of the move": they come to see the new house
- حدادхадаадmourningMourning is hidaad: dark clothes and quiet for several days. "Sorrow" you know; hidaad is its time
- عاقلʿагильsensibleSensible is ʿaaqil: one in whom the mind is "tied" and holds. "A sensible decision" is qaraar ʿaaqil
- طيبةтыйбаkindnessFrom "kind": kindness. Of a person they say "good-natured by nature" — and the same word means tasty
- ضبط النفسдабт ан-нафсself-restraintLiterally "the holding of oneself": self-restraint. Who owns himself "holds his soul" — keeps himself in hand
- صبرсабрpatiencePatience is sabr; the patient one is saabir. Everyone knows the proverb of patience as the key — but the course takes the word without sermons
- أنانيةанаанийяselfishnessFrom "I": selfishness. The "I-ing" of other languages is the same thing; the selfish one thinks only of himself
- كسلкасальlazinessLaziness; the lazy one is "a lazy one". An honest word: Arabic does not hide the cause of undone deeds
- عنادʿинаадstubbornnessStubbornness is ʿinaad; the stubborn one is ʿaniid. The child's "I will not, and that is that" is in Arabic "the child's stubbornness"
- فضولфу́дульcuriosityCuriosity is fuduul: a word without judgment — the child's inquisitiveness carries the same one. About other people's affairs the same word already teases
- أمانةамаанаintegrityHonesty and reliability at once: amaaana. A person who is "trustworthy" is one you can leave the keys with
- سرعة البديهةсурʿат аль-бадийхаquick witLiterally "the speed of the self-evident": quick wit. "The self-evident"; the resourceful one finds the answer as if it had always lain nearby
- لا مبالاةля мубаляатаcarelessnessLiterally "the not giving of importance": carelessness. When the matter "has no importance" — trouble is already near
- حاسمхаасимdecisiveFrom "cut the dispute short": decisive. A "decisive" answer is final — the dispute ends with it
- خجولхаджульshyFrom "embarrassment": shy. The shy person blushes when looked at
- حساسхассаасtouchySensitive and touchy at once: hassaas. The difference other languages make is erased here: whoever is sensitive catches offense sooner
- مرنмаринeasygoingFlexible and yielding: said of a person who is easy to deal with and of a schedule you can move
- دقيقдакиикthoroughExact to the smallest: daqiiq. A thorough check finds what others missed; the finer the detail, the deeper the word
- مغرورмагруурvainSelf-enamored, self-important: maghruur. From "deceit": he deceived himself first
- متعاونмутаʿаавинhelpfulA participle, "cooperating": helpful, ready to assist. "Cooperation" — and the helpful one is its living embodiment
- منعزلмунʿазильwithdrawnA participle, "set apart": withdrawn, closed off from people. After that story he became "secluded"
- صريحсарийхfrankOpen, straight in words: sarii h. He "speaks plainly" — speaks as it is; sometimes it cuts, but it never confuses
- لا يمكن التنبؤ بهля йямкин ат-танаббуʿ бихиunpredictableLiterally "one cannot predict him": unpredictable. Of weather and of people — one formula; guessing the reactions will not work
- أطاعатааʿаto obeyThe verb "obeyed": with the direct object, no preposition. "Obey your mother" is atiʿ ummaka; listening with the ears is another verb
- تباهىтабаахаto show offTabaahaa — "preened, boasted". After it comes bi- and what is boasted of: "shows off his car"
- يمّعйяммаʿаto gossipThe doubled sound: "gossiped, chewed over". Gossip is "namiima"; to talk of someone absent is to "chew over"
- تظاهرтазаахараto feignZaahara — "showed for show, feigned". After it comes "that" and the feigned deed: "feigned that he slept"
- تمالك نفسهтамаляка нафсахуto hold backLiterally "owned himself": held back. "He barely held himself"; the same root as "to own"
- مازحмаазахаto play a joke onThe form of the verb "among three": joked with someone, played a joke. "Humor" — joke and fun; weddings have much of it
- كذبкадзабаto tell a lieThe verb "lied"; the noun is "a lie". One word for "lie" and "tell a lie" — the tense says the rest
- تنصّتтанассатаto eavesdrop"Listened in secret": eavesdropped. A modern word from the technology: one also eavesdrops on a phone call
- يفرض نفسهйяфрид нафсахуto impose oneselfLiterally "imposes himself": to impose oneself. From "to lay upon": whoever imposes lays himself onto others' affairs
- يحافظ على وعدهйяхаафиз ʿаля ваʿдихиto keep one's wordLiterally "guards his promise": keeps his word. "A promise"; a person of the word does not drop it — the verb means "guards"
- استحقистахаккаto deserveThe ist- form: earned the right, deserved. One word covers "earned" and "merited": the praise he deserved
- عاتبʿаатабаto reproachʿAataba — reproached, showed hurt. It takes ʿala: "reproached him for the delay"
- مدحмадахаto praiseThe verb "praised"; the praise is madh. Against it stands "to blame"; the pair lives in grades and reviews
- أدانадаанаto condemnThe verb "condemned". In court and in conversation one word; "condemnation" is its noun. One need not be a judge
- خذلхазальto let down"Left in trouble, let down". What you call "letting down" Arabic says with a word about betraying trust — stronger than yours
- عن قصدʿан касдon purposeLiterally "with aim": on purpose. "The intent"; did it "with intent" — knew what he was doing
- من الحماقةмин аль-хамагаout of foolishnessLiterally "from the foolishness": out of foolishness. "Foolishness"; deeds from it are done without evil intent
- بنيّة حسنةби-ниййа хасанаwith the best intentionsLiterally "with a good intention": with the best intentions. "The intention" — in Arab culture it is judged before the deed
- هذا غير لائقхаза гайр ляʾикthat is not niceLiterally "this is not befitting": that is not nice. Of a deed, not of a thing; so adults speak to children and to each other
- بلا نية سيئةбля нийя сайийаhe meant no harmLiterally "without a bad intention": he meant no harm. Clumsy but not wicked; the intention here matters more than the result
- ثقةсикаtrustTrust is thiqa; to trust is thiq. Built over years and lost in a moment — Arabic says exactly the same
- حسدхасадenvyEnvy is hasad; the envious one is hasiid. An old word: it was written about long before our gossips
- شفقةшафкаpityPity, compassion: shafqa. From it "compassionate"; here one pities not from above but alongside
- نفوذнуфуузinfluenceLiterally "a flowing through": influence, a person's weight. A word of the world of power: the elders of the clan always have it
- هيبةхайбаauthorityThe weight and dignity that are listened to: authority. Not fear but respect that keeps its distance by itself
- بالتبادلби-т-табаадульmutuallyLiterally "by exchange": mutually. Respect holds on exchange: gave — received, mutually
- على قدم المساواةʿаля гадам аль-мусауаатon equal footingLiterally "on the foot of equality": on equal footing. The English "foot" here is the same: to talk as equals is to stand with your companion on one step
- انسجمинсаджамаto hit it offInsajama — "fell into harmony, got along". From "the string": two instruments tuned to unison — that is "hitting it off"
- يبقى على الهامشйябкаа ʿаля аль-хаамишto stay on the sidelinesLiterally "remains on the margins": stays on the sidelines. "The margin" is the page's edge; whoever is on it takes no part in the matter but does not leave either
- شريك الحياةшариик аль-хайаhusbandLiterally "partner of life". The base word zawj you know as a pair; add "of life" and you have a spouse
- زوجةзавжаwifeThe "pair" word with the feminine ending. The same shape as "partner of life" — shariika al-haya
- الناسан-насpeopleCollective "people": the article has grown on for good, the word never walks without it. The familiar insaan — a human — is of the same root family
- حماة الزوجхамат аз-завджmother-in-law (husband’s mother)The mother-in-law keeps no word of her own: hamaa covers both mothers — the husband’s and the wife’s — so the husband’s mother is named descriptively, "the mother of the husband"
- حماةхамааmother-in-law (either side)One word for the mother of the wife and the mother of the husband: Arabic does not tell them apart, only the specification does — hamat az-zawj or hamat az-zawja
- حموхамуfather-in-law (either side)The father of the spouse from either side — both the father-in-law and the father-in-law: Arabic measures kinship from whose spouse it is, not from oneself
- صهرсихрson-in-law (brother-in-law)This names the husband of the daughter and the husband of the sister — one word; the feminine partner is kana, the sister-in-law
- كنةканаdaughter-in-law (sister-in-law)The wife of the son and the wife of the brother are one word; by ear keep it apart from laakinna — the accent of "but"
- ابن الأخибн аль-ахnephewLiterally "the son of the brother"; there is no common word for the nephew and the niece — each has his own two-part phrase
- بنت الأخбинт аль-ахnieceLiterally "the daughter of the brother": the partner of the familiar ibn al-akh
- حفيدةхафидаgranddaughterHafiid — the grandson — you have met; the feminine partner adds an a on the end, like ibn — ibna
- توأمтауʾамtwinsOne word for twins — literally "of one womb"; the number does not matter, two or more
- الأرحامаль-арххаамkinThe familiar aqaarib are the relatives one by one; al-arhaam is the kin as one’s own blood: one visits them
- الأخ الأكبرаль-ах аль-акбарolder brotherThe familiar akh and akbar side by side: seniority is carried by the superlative — there is no separate word "elder"
- الأخت الصغرىаль-ухт ас-суграyounger sisterThe partner of "older brother": the superlative of the familiar saghiir — small — in the feminine
- الطفل الوحيدат-тифль аль-вахиидonly childWahiid is "the one and only"; by ear do not mix it with the familiar waahid — "one" in the count: there a long aa, here ii
- بنت العمбинт аль-ʿаммcousin (female)Literally "the daughter of the uncle": the partner of the familiar ibn ʿamm — the male cousin
- زوجة الأبзавджат аль-абstepmotherLiterally "the wife of the father": Arabic assembles the distant kin from two-part phrases — there is no separate word
- زوج الأمзавджат аль-уммstepfatherLiterally "the wife of the mother"; assembled the same way as the stepmother — zawjat al-ab
- يتيمйатиимorphanThe orphan and to be orphaned are of one root; "since childhood" is said through the familiar munzhu — "since"
- أرملةармалаwidowThe widower is armal — the same form in the masculine
- قرينгариинspouse (male)Zawj is taken by "a pair", shariik al-haya by the husband; for papers and formal talk an Arab says qariin — the spouse
- شريكة الحياةшариикат аль-хайаspouse (female)The familiar shariik al-haya — the husband; with the feminine ending — the spouse: literally "the companion of life"
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
صديق (садийк) — friend. The emphatic s at the start. A woman friend is sadiiqa, and the plural is asdiqaa.
عائلة (ʿааʾиля) — family. From ʿaaʾila — a clan: family in the wide sense, with grandparents and cousins. The hamza in the middle sits on an alif.
أم (умм) — mom. The shadda mm is long. Ummi — "my mom" — is also said to an older woman from respect.
أب (аб) — dad. The affectionate form is baa — baa, the syllable babies babble everywhere. The formal ab lives in documents.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “friend” in Arabic?
The emphatic s at the start. A woman friend is sadiiqa, and the plural is asdiqaa
- How do you say “human” in Arabic?
A human in general, any of the people. The plural is unaas: "people" and "folk" are one word for every case
- How do you say “crowd” in Arabic?
From the verb "to crowd together". The crowd at the market on Saturday is hashd, and in military speech the same word means a detachment
- How do you say “tall” in Arabic?
Literally "long of stature": qaama is height, and about a tall person an Arab says exactly so. A bare tawiil about a person is possible, but this is politer
- How do you say “handsome” in Arabic?
A compliment to a man; about a woman an Arab will say it otherwise — about the beauty of the face. Wasim and jamiil are not synonyms: the first is about looks, the second about beauty in general
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “friend” in Arabic?
«صديق», read “садийк”. The emphatic s at the start. A woman friend is sadiiqa, and the plural is asdiqaa. It is one of 195 words in the set “people and family” — the rest are in the table above.
How many family words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 195 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.