How to say "atonement" in Arabic
CognateMeaningatonement
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
kaffāraכפארה
كفارة
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
kaparaكَاپَارَا
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ك-ف-رHebrew root
כ-פ-רThe Yom Kippur word, almost exactly: כפרה and kaffāra both mean atonement, both from a root meaning 'to cover' — covering a sin so it no longer counts against you.
Related Hebrew word:כפרהkaparaكَپَارَا
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In a phrase
atonement for the sin
Plural
sound feminine plural
The root family
ك-ف-رכ-פ-ר· covering, denial, atonement
The Yom Kippur root: kaffāra and כפרה are the same word — covering over sin. From a core sense "to cover" both languages went theological: Arabic kafara "to deny faith" (a kāfir covers up the truth) matches Hebrew כפר בעיקר "denied the principle of faith". The village word — Hebrew כפר, Arabic kafr, as in כפר סבא and Kafr Qasim — is a separate root, likely spread through Aramaic, not part of the atonement family.
- كَافِر kāfirunbeliever, infidelכּוֹפֵרheretic, denier
- كَفَرَ kafarahe denied faith, disbelievedכָּפַרhe denied
- كُفْر kufrunbeliefכְּפִירָהheresy, denial
- كَفَّارَة kaffāraatonement, expiationכַּפָּרָהatonement — as in יום כיפור, and the endearment כפרה עליך
- كَفَّرَ kaffarahe atoned (for)כִּפֵּרhe atoned