How to say "love" in Arabic
CognateMeaninglove
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
حُبّ
ḥubbחב
حب
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
אהבה
ahavaأَهَاڤَا
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ح-ب-بHebrew root
ח-ב-בThe root ḥ-b-b gives Hebrew חיבה (affection) and מחבב, cousins of Arabic ḥubb. You already know it from ḥabībi — "my dear" — the same word as Hebrew חביב.
Related Hebrew word:חיבהkhibaخِيبَا
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In a phrase
حُبّ مِن أَوَّل نَظْرَة
ḥubb min awwal naẓraחב מן אול נט'רהlove at first sight
The root family
ح-ب-بח-ב-ב· love
The love root behind ḥabībī. Hebrew's ח-ב-ב is a genuine old twin — Biblical חֹבֵב, modern חיבב and חיבה — so this family is true kinship, not just borrowing. That said, Israeli חביבי and חבוב themselves are recent loans straight from Arabic: the root came home twice.
- حُبّ ḥubbloveחִבָּהaffection
- حَبِيب ḥabībbeloved, darlingחָבִיבlikeable, dear
- حَبِيبِي ḥabībīmy darling — the one Arabic word every Israeli knowsחֲבִיבִיbuddy (Israeli slang, borrowed straight back)
- أَحَبَّ aḥabbahe lovedחִבֵּבhe was fond of
- مَحْبُوب maḥbūbbeloved, popular
- حَبَّة ḥabbagrain, seed; pill (Levantine ḥabbe ḥabbe — little by little)