How to say "singer" in Arabic
CognateMeaningsinger
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
مُغَنِّي
mughannīמע'ני
مغني
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
זמר
zamarزَامَار
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
غ-ن-يHebrew root
ע-נ-הArabic gh-n-y 'sing' is traditionally matched (BDB and others) with a rare Biblical root ענה 'chant' — קול ענות, the singing Moses heard around the Golden Calf — since Hebrew ע absorbed the old ghayn sound. Formal MSA spells the word مُغَنٍّ; everyday speech says mughannī.
Related Hebrew word:ענהanaأَنَا
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In a phrase
الْمُغَنِّي فِي الْحَفْلَة
al-mughannī fī l-ḥaflaאל-מע'ני פי אל-חפלהThe singer is at the party.
Plural
مُغَنُّون
mughannūnמע'נוןsound masculine plural -ūn; the weak final radical drops (mughannī→mughannūn)
Feminine
مُغَنِّيَة
mughanniyaמע'ניה