Arabic Genealogical Word List

Arabic Genealogical Word List
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Genealogical Word Lists

Arabic Genealogical Word List

Introduction

This page contains information on Arabic relevant for genealogists searching records in this language. It includes a basic breakdown of the language and lists of Arabic words with their English transliterations and translations. The words included here are those likely to be found in genealogical sources. For any words not contained in the list, please see "Additional Arabic Language Resources" below for suggestions on dictionaries and websites.

Arabic is a Semitic language and is in the same language family as Hebrew and Aramaic. It is spoken as a first language by almost 300 million people in the Middle East and North Africa and is commonly learned as a second language, particularly by non-Arab Muslims due to its role as the liturgical language of Islam.

The term "Arabic language" generally refers to both Modern Standard Arabic, the standardized, formal Arabic used for literature and official purposes, including record keeping; and the diverse array of Arabic dialects spoken as a first language at home and in daily life. Arabic dialects are rarely written down, especially in official documents, so this page focuses on Modern Standard Arabic. However, dialects are commonly used in oral histories, so resources for spoken Arabic are included as well.

Language Characteristics

Arabic Alphabet

Arabic is written using the Arabic alphabet (Ar: أَبْجَدِيّة) which consists of 28 letters and is written from right to left. The Arabic alphabet is considered an abjad, meaning that typically only consonants and long vowels are written, while short vowels are either excluded and inferred by the reader or written as diacritics above or under consonants. The Arabic script is also cursive; most letters connect to the subsequent letter in a word, meaning that most letters vary in form depending on where they fall in a word.

Arabic Consonants and Long Vowels

Independent Form	Initial Form (beginning of a word)	Medial Form (middle of a word)	Final Form (end of a word)	Common English Transliterations
ا	ا	ـا	ـا	a, ā
ب	بـ	ـبـ	ـب	b
ت	تـ	ـتـ	ـت	t
ث	ثـ	ـثـ	ـث	th (similar to "thank")
ج	جـ	ـجـ	ـج	j, dj, g
ح	حـ	ـحـ	ـح	h, ḥ
خ	خـ	ـخـ	ـخ	kh, x, ḵ
د	د	ـد	ـد	d
ذ	ذ	ـذ	ـذ	th, dh (similar to "this")
ر	ر	ـر	ـر	r
ز	ز	ـز	ـز	z
س	سـ	ـسـ	ـس	s
ش	شـ	ـشـ	ـش	sh, š
ص	صـ	ـصـ	ـص	s, ṣ
ض	ضـ	ـضـ	ـض	d, ḍ
ط	طـ	ـطـ	ـط	t, ṭ
ظ	ظـ	ـظـ	ـظ	th, ẓ, z
ع	عـ	ـعـ	ـع	', ʿ, 3
غ	غـ	ـغـ	ـغ	gh, ḡ
ف	فـ	ـفـ	ـف	f
ق	قـ	ـقـ	ـق	q
ك	كـ	ـكـ	ـك	k
ل	لـ	ـلـ	ـل	l
م	مـ	ـمـ	ـم	m
ن	نـ	ـنـ	ـن	n
ه	هـ‎	ـهـ‎‎	ـه‎	h
و	و	ـو	ـو	w
ي	يـ	ـيـ	ـي	y

Arabic Diacritics

Arabic diacritics include short vowels and other symbols written either above or below consonants. Diacritics are rarely used outside of religious texts but are sometimes included to reduce ambiguity.

Diacritic	Name	Transliteration	Characterization
ــَـ	فَتْحَة (Fathah)	a, e	short vowel
ــُـ	ضَمَّة (Dammah)	u,o	short vowel
ــِـ	كَسْرَة (Kasrah)	i	short vowel
ــْـ	سُكون (Sukun)	n/a	"silencer"; indicates that a consonant is not followed by a vowel sound
ــّـ	شَدَّة (Shaddah)	n/a	"doubles" consonants, indicates that final consonant of a syllable is the same as the initial consonant of the next syllable

Additional Letters and Ligatures

In addition to the standard consonants and vowels of the Arabic alphabet, there are several additional letters and ligatures that are commonly used.

Hamza

The hamza is an additional consonant described as a glottal stop. This sound is common in English even though it is unwritten, such as the sound at the beginning of "oh" in "uh oh". The hamza changes form depending on its role in the word and the short vowels that come before or after it. When romanized, hamza is usually depicted as a "'" or "ʾ". This can be confused with the letter 'ayn (ع), which is often romanized as "'" as well, or as the right-facing apostrophe "ʻ". In Arabic, the hamza can appear as follows:

Independent Form	Initial Form	Medial Form	Final Form
ء	ء	ء	ء
ؤ	ؤ	ـؤ	ـؤ
ئ	ئـ	ـئـ	ـئ
أ	أ	ـأ	ـأ
إ	إ	ـإ	ـإ

Taa' Marbuta

Taa' marbuta (تاء مربوطة) - literally "tied taa'" appears only at the end of words and primarily indicates a word is grammatically feminine. It indicates an "a" sound at the end of the word is is typically romanized as either "a" or "ah". When the taa' marbuta is the non-final term of an idafa construction it is proncounced as "-at".

Shapes of Taa' Marbuta

Independent	Connected
ة	ـة

Handwritten Arabic

Many historical genealogical records and personal journals in Arabic are handwritten. The diverse styles of Arabic handwriting and their variation from modern fonts can present a challenge to deciphering these records.

More Resources:

• Youtube - How to read HANDWRITTEN Arabic in under 7 minutes - Arabic 101; this video (with an Islamic slant) provides examples of common differences between handwritten and printed Arabic letters

Arabic Calligraphy

The Arabic language boasts a rich history of calligraphy and diverse calligraphic styles. Throughout the Muslim world, Arabic calligraphy has served as a central motif in art and architecture, often adorning mosques, homes, and gathering places as well as books and manuscripts. Various styles of calligraphy have been used in record keeping in different places and time periods in the Arab world, so an understanding of these styles is important for reading these records. Furthermore, modern non-calligraphical handwriting is influenced by different calligraphical styles, and familiarity with one can aid in decoding the other.

Styles of Arabic Calligraphy

Kufic (Arabic: الخَطّ الكوفيّ)

Attributed to Kufa, Iraq - the city from which it derives its name - this style is characterized by "angular, rectilinear letterforms and its horizontal orientation". This script became one of the primary modes of transcribing the Quran during the early Islamic period. There are many variations of the Kufic script with distinctive shapes and patterns. Genealogical researchers are unlikely to encounter records written in this style, except perhaps in stylized titles of documents.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Kufic
• Bayt Al Fann - The Art and Heritage of the Kufic Script
• Calligraphy Qalam - Kufic

Naskh (Arabic: خَطّ النَسْخ)

The naskh style of calligraphy is also very ancient, dating back to the first century after the prophet Mohammad. It is characterized by small, rounded letters and is considered the easiest style to read. Naskh is the script primarily used in the Qur'an and has inspired many modern-day Arabic fonts. It is likely to be found in historical documents with printed (as opposed to handwritten) information.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Naskh (script)
• Calligraphy Qalam - Naskh
• Arabic Calligraphy - Naskh Script

Rayhani (Arabic: الخَطّ الريحاني)

The rayhani style appeared around the 10th Century and is characterized by pointed letters and a pronounced alif-lam shape at the beginning of words. Its use declined in the 17th Century in favor of naskh, so genealogical researchers are unlikely to encounter rayhani in records after that time.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Rayhani script
• Calligraphy Qalam - Rayhani**Images of Rayhani

Ruq'ah (Arabic: خَطّ الرُقْعّة)

The ruq'ah style of calligraphy consists of slanted letters, short, straight lines, and even curves. It is extremely widespread and is the basis for most styles of handwriting. It was devised in the 19th Century to write Ottoman Turkish, and many records from the Ottoman Empire, printed and handwritten, are written in ruq'ah.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Ruq'ah script
• Calligraphy Qalam - Ruq'ah

Muhaqqaq (Arabic: خَطّ المُحَقَّق)

The muhaqqaq script is considered beautiful and intricate and was commonly used to decorate buildings or large copies of the Quran. However, its use began to decline in the 16th Century under the Ottoman Empire and researchers are unlikely to encounter this style in genealogical records.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Muhaqqaq
• Calligraphy Qalam - Muhaqqaq

Thuluth (Arabic: خَطّ الثُلُث)

Thuluth is a highly structured and elegant calligraphical style commonly used for decorative motifs in architecture. Its use dates back to the first centuries of Islam and it has given rise to many other calligraphical styles, including muhaqqaq and naskh. Despite its widespread use, researchers are unlikely to encounter this style in records apart from the occasional stylized title.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Thuluth
• Calligraphy Qalam - Thuluth

Maghrebi (Arabic: خَطّ المَغْرِبيَ)

The maghrebi style is a derivation of the kufi script widely used in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), al-Andalus (former Muslim Iberia), and areas of sub-Saharan Africa. It is "characterized by rounded letter forms, extended horizontal features, and final open curves below the baseline". Family history researchers are likely to encounter this script in documents from these regions.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Maghrebi script
• Calligraphy Qalam - Maghribi

Diwani (Arabic: الخَطّ الدِوانيّ)

The diwani script was developed during the Ottoman Empire and was primarily used for writing official government decrees. It is characterized by the intertwining of adjacent letters, making it difficult to read. Researchers are unlikely to encounter the diwani style in genealogical records.

More Resources:

• Wikipedia - Diwani
• eMashq.com - The Diwani Calligraphy style

Arabic Grammar

Noun Gender

Arabic has two grammatical genders, male and female. Most female nouns end in a taa' marbuta (ة), although there are notable exceptions, including several family terms like أُمّ (umm - "mother") and بِنْت (bint - "daughter"). Almost no masculine nouns end in taa' marbuta. There are different verb conjugations for masculine and feminine nouns.

Dual Nouns

Pairs of nouns are treated differently than groups of three or more and are not considered plural. To create a dual noun, simply add the ending انِ- or يْنَِ- (-ān or -ayn), depending on case, to the single noun. For example, the singular word for daughter, بِنْت (bint), becomes بِنْتان or بِنْتَيْن (bintān or bintayn), meaning "two daughters".

Plural Nouns

Arabic does not have a "one size fits all" system of pluralizing nouns. There are multiple systems of pluralization, some involving adding suffixes to nouns while others "break" the singular form of the noun, sometimes adding additional vowels or a hamza (ء) to the middle of the word. For example, the word for "grandmother", جَدّة (jaddah), becomes جَدّات (jaddāt) for "grandmothers", adding the suffix "ات-" (-āt) that is used for most human feminine nouns. However, the word زَوْج (zawj), meaning "husband", becomes أَزْواج (azwāj) for "husbands". Here, the singular version of the noun is "broken" and its principle letters re-arranged to form the plural.

The Arabic counting system works differently than English and many other languages. While singular nouns are treated as such, pairs of nouns are considered dual rather than plural, as described above. Nouns in groups of 3 to 10 are changed to their plural form, but from 11 to 102 they revert to their single form. For example, "thirty-three husbands" would be written as "thirty-three husband", or "ثَلاثَة وَثَلاثون زَوْجًا" (thalāthah wa thalāthūn zawjan), using the singular "زَوْج" (plus an additional case marking) instead of the plural form "أَزْواج". From 103-110, the plural form is used again, with the singular taking over from 111-202. The pattern continues thus.

Additional Arabic Language Resources

Arabic Paleography

• Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) - Arabic Paleography

Dictionaries

• The Concise Oxford English-Arabic Dictionary of Current Usage
• The School Dictionary, English-Arabic
• Online Arabic dictionary

Language Helps

• Arabic languages overviews
• Arabic script
• Arabic language resources
• Islamic Calendar converter
• Arabic Transliteration information
• Arabic to Latin Converter

General Word List

English	Arabic	Transliteration	Plural	Transliteration
genealogy (field of study)	عِلْم الأَنْساب	ʿilm al-ʾansāb	عُلوم الأَنْساب	ʿulūm al-ʾansāb
family history	تاريخ عائلي	tārīkh ʿāʾili	-	-
birth	وِلادة, ميلاد	wilādah, mīlād	وِلادات, مَواليد	wilādāt, mawālīd
death	مَوْت , وَفاة	mawt, wafāh	أَموْات	amwāt
marriage	زَواج , قِران , زِفاف	zawāj, qirān, zifāf	زَواجات، زِفافات	zawājāt, zifāfāt
burial	دَفْن	dafn	أَدْفان	adfān
cemetery	مَقْبَرَة	maqbarah	مَقابِر	maqābir
date	تاريخ	tārīkh	تواريخ	tawārīkh
day	يَوْم	yawm	أيَام	ayām
month	شَهْر	šahr	أَشْهُر	ašhur
year	سَنة، عام	sanah, ʿām	سَنَوات، سِنون، أَعْوام	sanawāt, sinūn, ʾawām
calendar	تَقْويم	taqwīm	تَقاويم، تَقْويمات	taqāwīm, taqwīmāt
hijri (referring to the Islamic calendar)	هِجْريّ	hijri	هِجْريّة	hijriyah
B.C., B.C.E.	قَبْل الميلاد	qabl al-mīlād	-	-
A.D., C.E.	ميلاديّ	mīlādi	ميلاديّ	mīlādiyah
family name	اِسْم العائِلة	ism al-ʿāʾilah	أَسْماء العائِلة	ʾasmāʾ al-ʿāʾilah
first name	الاِسْم الأَوَّل	al-ism al-awwal	الأسْماء الأُولى	al-ʾasmāʾ al-ʾula
birthplace, hometown	رَأْس مًسْقَط	raʾs masqaṭ	رُؤوس مًسْقَط	ruʾūs masqaṭ
village	قَرِية	qariyah	قُرى	qura
town	بَلْدة	baldah	بَلْدات	baldāt
city	مَدينة	madīnah	مُدُن	mudun
country	بَلَد , دَوْلة	balad, dawlah	بِلاد , دُوَل	bilād, duwal
family	عائِلة، أُسْرَة	ʿāʾilah, ʾusrah	عائِلات، أُسَر	ʿāʾilāt, ʾusar
tribe, clan	قَبيلة، عَشيرة	qabīlah, ʿašīrah	قَبائل، عَشائر	qabāʾil, ʿašāʾir
military, army (noun)	جَيْش	jayš	جُيوش	juyūš
military (adjective)	عَسْكَريّ	ʿaskari	عَسْكَريّون	ʿaskariūn
religion	ديانة	diyānah	ديانات	diyānāt
Muslim	مُسْلِم	muslim	مُسْلِمون	muslimūn
Christian	مَسيحيّ، نَصْرانيّ	masīḥi, naṣrāni	مَسيحيّون، نَصارى	masīḥiūn, naṣāri
Jew, Jewish	يَهوديّ	yahūdi	يَهود	yahūdi
mosque	مَسْجِد، جامِع	masjid, jāmiʿ	مَساجِد، جَوامِع	masājid, jawāmi ʿ
church	كَنيسَة	kanīsah	كَنائِس	kanāʾis
record	سِجِلّ	sijill	سِجِلّات	sijillāt
document	وَثيقَة	wathīqah	وَثائِق	wathāʾiq
archive	أَرْشيف	ʾaršīf	-	-
index	فِهْرِس	fihris	فَهارِس	fahāris
census	تِعْداد سُكانيّ	tiʿdād sukāni	تِعْدادات سُكانيّة	tiʿdādāt sukāniyah
library	مَكْتَبة	maktab	مَكْتَبات	maktabāt
1 - one	واحِد	wāḥid	-	-
2 - two	اِثْنان، اِثْنَيْن	ithnān, ithnayn	-	-
3 - three	ثَلاثة	thalāthah	-	-
4 - four	أَرْبَعة	ʾarbaʿah	-	-
5 - five	خَمْسة	khamsah	-	-
6 - six	سِتّة	sittah	-	-
7 - seven	سَبْعة	sabʿah	-	-
8 - eight	ثَمانية	thamāniyah	-	-
9 - nine	تِسْعة	tisʿah	-	-
10 - ten	عَشَرة	ʿašarah	-	-
11 - eleven	أَحَد عَشَر	ʾaḥad ʿašar	-	-
12 - twelve	اِثْنا/اِثْنَي عَشَر	ithna/ithnay ʿašar	-	-
13 - thirteen	ثَلاثة عَشَر	thalāthat ʿašar	-	-
14 - fourteen	أَرْبَعة عَشَر	ʾarbaʿat ʿašar	-	-
15 - fifteen	خَمْسَة عَشَر	khamsat ʿašar	-	-
16 - sixteen	سِتّة عَشَر	sittat ʿašar	-	-
17 - seventeen	سَبْعة عَشَر	sabʿat ʿašar	-	-
18 - eighteen	ثَمانية عَشَر	thamāniyat ʿašar	-	-
19 - nineteen	تِسْعة عَشَر	tisʿat ʿašar	-	-
20 - twenty	عِشْرون	ʿišrūn	-	-
30 - thirty	ثَلاثون	thalāthūn	-	-
40 - forty	أَرْبَعون	ʾarbaʿūn	-	-
50 - fifty	خَمْسون	khamsūn	-	-
60 - sixty	سِتّون	sittūn	-	-
70 - seventy	سَبْعون	sabʿūn	-	-
80 - eighty	ثَمانون	thamānūn	-	-
90 - ninety	تِسْعون	tisʿūn	-	-
100 - one hundred	مِئة / مائة	miʾah	-	-

Family Relationships

English	Arabic	Transliteration	Plural	Transliteration
father	أَب، والِد	ʾab, wālid	آباء، والِدون	ʾābāʾ, wālidūn
mother	أُمّ، والِدة	ʾumm, wālidah	أُمَّهات، والِدات	ʾummahāt, wālidāt
son	اِبْن، وَلَد	ibn, walad	أَبْناء، أَوْلاد	ʾabnāʾ, ʾawlād
daughter	اِبْنة، بِنْت، وَلَدَة	ibnah, bint, waladah	اِبْنات، بِنات، وَلَدات	ibnāt, bināt, waladāt
brother	أَخ، شَقيق	ʾakh, šaqīq	إِخْوان، إِخْوَة، أَشِقّاء	ʾikhwān, ʾikhwah, ʾašiqqāʾ
sister	أُخْت، شَقيقة	ʾukht, šaqīqah	أَخَوات، شَقيقات	ʾakhawāt, šaqīqāt
wife	زَوْجة	zawjah	زَوْجات	zawjāt
husband	زَوْج	zawj	أَزْواج	azwāj
grandfather	جَدّ	jadd	أَجْداد	ajdād
grandmother	جَدّة	jaddah	جَدّات	jaddāt
grandson	حَفيد	ḥafīd	أَحْفاد	aḥfād
granddaughter	حَفيدة	ḥafīdah	حَفيدات	ḥafīdāt
paternal uncle	عَمّ	ʿamm	أَعْمام	ʾaʿmām
maternal uncle	خال	khāl	أَخْوال	ʾakhwāl
paternal aunt	عَمّة	ʿammah	عَمّات	ʿammāt
maternal aunt	خالة	khālah	خالات	khālāt
paternal male cousin	اِبْن العَمّ	ibn al-ʿamm	أَبْناء العَمّ	ʾabnāʾ al-ʿamm
maternal male cousin	اِبْن الخال	ibn al-khāl	أَبْناء الخال	ʾabnāʾ al-khāl
paternal female cousin	بِنْت العَمّ	bint al-ʿamm	بِنات العَمّ	bināt al-ʿamm
maternal female cousin	بِنْت الخال	bint al-khāl	بِنات الخال	bināt al-khāl
nephew (brother's son)	اِبْن الأَخ	ibn al-ʾakh	أَبْناء الأَخ	ʾabnāʾ al-ʾakh
nephew (sister's son)	اِبْن الأُخْت	ibn al-ʾukht	أَبْناء الأُخْت	ʾabnāʾ al-ʾukht
niece (brother’s daughter)	بِنْت الأَخ	bint al-ʾakh	بِنات الأَخ	bināt al-ʾakh
niece (sister’s daughter)	بِنْت الأُخْت	bint al-ʾukht	بِنات الأُخْت	bināt al-ʾukht
son-in-law, brother-in-law	صِهْر	ṣihr	أَصْهار	ʾaṣhār
sister-in-law	صِهْرَة	ṣihrah	صِهْرات	ṣihrāt

Dates/Time

Aramaic Months Used in the Levant

English	Arabic	Pronunciation
January	كانون الثاني	Kānūn al-Thānī
February	شُباط	Šubāṭ
March	آذار	‘Ādār
April	نيسان	Nīsān
May	أَيّار	‘Ayyār
June	حَزيران	Ḥazīrān
July	تَمّوز	Tammūz
August	آب	‘Āb
September	أَيْلول	Aylūl
October	تِشْرين الأَوَّل	Tišrīn al-Awwal
November	تِشْرين الثاني	Tišrīn al-Thānī
December	كانون الأَوَّل	Kānūn al-Awwal

Gregorian Calendar Months

• Islamic Calendar converter

English	Arabic	Pronunciatioin
January	يَنايِر	yanāyir
February	فِبْرايِر	fibrāyir
March	مارِس	māris
April	أَبْريل/إِبْريل	abrīl/ibrīl
May	مايو	māyū
June	يونيو/يونيه	yūnyū/yūnya
July	يوليو/يوليه	yūlyū/yūlia
August	أَغُسْطُس	aġustus
September	سِبْتَمْبِر	sibtambir
October	أُكْتوبَر	uktūbar
November	نوفَمْبِر	nūfambir
December	ديسَمْبِر	dīsambir

Hijri Calendar Months

Arabic	Pronunciatioin
مُحَرَّم	Muḥarram
صَفَر	Ṣafar
رَبيع الأَوَّل	Rabīʿ al-ʾAwwal
رَبيع الثاني	Rabīʿ al-Thānī
جُمادى الأُولى	Jumādā al-ʾAwwal
جُمادى الآخِرَة	Jumādā al-Thānī
رَجَب	Rajab
شَعْبان	Shaʿbān
رَمَضان	Ramaḍān
شَوّال	Shawwāl
ذُو القَعْدَة	Dhū al-Qaʿdah
ذُو الحِجَّة	Dhū al-Ḥijjah

Days of the Week

English	Arabic	Pronunciation
Saturday	السَبْت	Al-sabt
Sunday	الأَحَد	Al-ʾaḥad
Monday	الاِثْنَيْن	Al-ithnayn
Tuesday	الثُلاثاء	Al-thulāthāʾ
Wednesday	الأَرْبَعاء	Al-ʾarbaʿāʾ
Thursday	الخَميس	Al-khamīs
Friday	الجُمْعَة	Al-jumʿah