Vocabulary

The Hebrew–Arabic word map

Every Arabic word here is tagged by its relationship to Hebrew. Some you already know because the two languages inherited them from the same Semitic root; some share a root but drifted in meaning; a few sound familiar yet mean something entirely different. Open any card to see the roots side by side, the story of the connection, and how the word sounds on the street in the Levant.

How words are tagged

Cognate

Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.

Shifted meaning

Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.

False friend

Sounds like a Hebrew word but means something else — handle with care.

Loanword

Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).

New word

No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.

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