How to say "to laugh" in Arabic

Cognate

Meaningto laugh

Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic

ضَحِكَ

ḍaḥikaצ'חך

ضحك

Hebrew · Modern Hebrew

צחק

tsakhakتْسَاخَاك

How the two words are related

Cognate

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

Arabic root

ض-ح-ك

Hebrew root

צ-ח-ק

Arabic ض matches Hebrew צ (as in أرض/ארץ), so ḍaḥika = צחק. The name Isaac — יצחק, 'he laughs' — comes from this very root.

ضَحِكَ الْأَطْفَال

ḍaḥika al-aṭfālצ'חך אל-אטפאל

The children laughed