Iftiin Learns

Without knowledge there is no light

Did you know that around 15-20% of vocabulary in the Somali language today is believed to have come from Arabic? While some original Somali words have largely been superseded in use by Arabic loanwords, other Somali words are still used alongside the Arabic word to convey the same meaning or express different nuances. Interestingly, when some Arabic words were translated into Somali, their meanings and usage changed slightly from the original Arabic meaning. As someone learning both Arabic and Somali, this is something that I found fascinating. In this post, I explore a few Somali words that are still used alongside their Arabic counterparts and Arabic loanwords that are used to express a slightly different meaning.

SOMALI ORIGIN WORD	ARABIC DERIVED WORD
Calaf (Fate/destiny)	Qadr, naseeb
Habeen (night)	Layl
Weydii (ask)	Su’aal (question)
Eebbe (God)	Ilaah
Af (language/mouth/tongue)	Luuqad
Bare (teacher)	Macallin
Jaceyl (love)	Caashaq (adoration)
Doon (boat)	Markab (ships)
Nacab (enemy)	Cadow
Dal (country)	Dawlad, Xukuumad (government)

1. Fate: Fate or destiny can be translated as calaf in Somali but other Arabic loanwords such as نصيب or قدر can also be used
2. Night: While you might hear layl, from ليلة in Somali songs, habeen is also used daily eg. habeen wanaagsan ‘good night’
3. Question/ask: The word for ‘question’ in Somali is su’aal, from the Arabic سؤال. However, the actual verb meaning ‘to ask’ in Somali is weydii, which is of Somali origin and is commonly used. So to say ‘ask me’ in Somali would be ‘ii weydii’
4. God: Eebbe is the Somali word for God but Ilaah is Arabic derived from ﷲ and used prominently as well, for example ‘llaahay mahaddii‘ – praise be/thanks to Allah.
5. Language: You can use luuqad for language from the Arabic لغة but af, also meaning ‘tongue’ or ‘mouth’ can also be used to mean language eg. Af-Soomaali, the Somali language
6. Teacher: Macallin comes from the Arabic معلم and means teacher, but bare is the original Somali word from bar, the verb to teach.
7. Love and Adoration: to express a liking or love of something, you can use the word jaceyl (Buugag waan jeclahay, I love books) but the Arabic loanword عشق or caashaq is used to express adoration or a deeper feeling.
8. Boats and Ships: Doon refers to boats or smaller vessels but markab refers to ships and comes from the Arabic مركب
9. Enemy: the word cadow from Arabic عَدُوّ means enemy but nacab is the original Somali word for enemy and the verb to hate in Somali (neceb) is related.
10. Country and government: the Somali word dal means country or land. However, the word for country/nation in Arabic, دولة is used in Somali as dawlad to mean government. Another Arabic loanword, xukuumad, from the Arabic حكومة also is used to mean government in Somali.

These are a few examples that I could think of Somali words that are still used alongside their Arabic loanword counterparts. I hope anyone learning Somali or Arabic will find this list interesting!

For those interested in learning about other Arabic loanwords, check out my other post here: https://iftiinlearns.com/2024/05/19/10-random-somali-words-that-have-arabic-roots/

Thank you for reading and Nabad Gelyo!