How to say "unbeliever, infidel" in Arabic
CognateMeaningunbeliever, infidel
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
kāfirכאפר
كافر
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
koferكُوفِر
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ك-ف-رHebrew root
כ-פ-רSame root as kaffāra/atonement — k-f-r, 'to cover, deny.' Hebrew כופר is a heretic or denier (כפר בעיקר, 'denied a core belief'); Arabic kāfir is anyone who denies the faith. Covering up the truth in both languages.
Related Hebrew word:כופרkoferكُوفِر
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In a phrase
Muslim or unbeliever
Plural
broken plural CuCCāC
Feminine
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