How to say "shepherd" in Arabic
CognateMeaningshepherd
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
رَاعِي
rāʿīראעי
راعي
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
רועה
ro'eرُوئِي
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ر-ع-يHebrew root
ר-ע-הRoot ر-ع-ي 'to pasture, tend flocks' is Hebrew ר-ע-ה letter for letter (the same final weak י/ה alternation as 'builder'), and both are built the same way — active participles, 'the one who shepherds'. Formal MSA spells the word رَاعٍ; everyday speech and the construct state say rāʿī.
Related Hebrew word:רועהro'eرُوئِي
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In a phrase
الرَّاعِي يَرْعَى الْغَنَم
ar-rāʿī yarʿā l-ghanamא-ראעי ירעא אל-ע'נםThe shepherd tends the flock.
Plural
رُعَاة
ruʿāhרעאהbroken plural CuCāh, the pattern for weak-final CāCī nouns — like قاضي→قضاة
Feminine
رَاعِيَة
rāʿiyaראעיה