How to say "mercy" in Arabic
CognateMeaningmercy
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
رَحْمَة
raḥmaרחמה
رحمة
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
רחמים
rakhamimرَاخَامِيم
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ر-ح-مHebrew root
ר-ח-םרחמים and raḥma share the root r-ḥ-m — in both languages it is literally the womb (רחם / raḥim): mercy as a mother's feeling. The Quran's ar-raḥmān echoes Aramaic רחמנא, "the Merciful".
Learn it
In a phrase
بِدُون رَحْمَة
bidūn raḥmaבדון רחמהwithout mercy
The root family
ر-ح-مר-ח-ם· mercy, womb
In both languages mercy is born from the womb: רחם is the womb and רחמים the compassion that flows from it — exactly Arabic raḥim and raḥma. Every sura but one opens with ar-raḥmān ar-raḥīm, and Aramaic-speaking Jews invoke the same word in רחמנא ליצלן. The liturgical adjectives line up too: raḥīm and רחום.
- رَحْمَة raḥmamercy, compassionרַחֲמִיםmercy
- رَحِمَ raḥimahe had mercy (on)רִחֵםhe pitied
- رَحِيم raḥīmmercifulרַחוּםmerciful — the liturgical twin
- رَحِم raḥimwombרֶחֶםwomb — mercy's birthplace in both languages
- اَلرَّحْمٰن ar-raḥmānthe Compassionate (name of God)רַחֲמָנָאthe Merciful One (Aramaic, רחמנא ליצלן)