We talked a little bit in a former lesson about the nuclear family meaning mom, dad and the kids. However, today we are going to branch out a little bit to learn words for relatives and friends in Arabic. Also, you’ll learn words that will allow you to talk about people in your life who are not related to you but, nevertheless, feel like kin – your friends.
However, before we get to those words, it is crucial that you know that an Arab’s kin and ancestors are held in very high esteem in the Arab world. In fact, Arabs will be able to recite their roots going back for many generations. While we're on the subject, you’ll notice that the middle names of both male and female Arabs are usually the first name of their father. Moreover, these names are sometimes led by a
“bin” or
“ibn” in case of a boy, and
“bint” in case of a girl.
What’s more, Arabic words can also mean many things, and there are many words that can have a similar meaning. That is to say, there are basic Arabic words for both relatives and friends in Arabic that are common in most places. For instance, the most common word for family is عائلة (
aaelah) which is used for both the central and extended family. As one more example, أسرة (
Usrah) is also a very commonly used word and refers to the central family.
Finally, the choice of word may vary from one region to another, but these two words are understood in most of the local dialects, and are often used interchangeably. In the end, by learning a few Arabic words, you can feel like you’re more than a friend; rather, you’ll feel like part of the family.
عَمّ
/ʻamm/
Means
Paternal uncle
(The father's brother)
عَمَّة
/ʻammah/
Means
Paternal aunt
(The father's sister)
خَال
/khaal/
Means
Maternal uncle
(The mother's brother)
خَالَة
/khaalah/
Means
Maternal aunt
(The mother's sister)
صَديق
/Sadeeq/
Means
Male friend
صَديقَة
/Sadeeqah/
Means
Female friend
Adding ـه
to any noun will turn it into possessive
pronoun (Male/ singular)
صَديقُــــهُ
/Sadeequhu/
Adding ـها
to any noun will turn it into possessive
pronoun (Female/ Singular)
صَديقُــــها
/Sadeequhaa/
For more info regarding relatives and friends and how to learn Arabic online,
you can download the Arabic learning app Kaleela to learn Arabic the right way.