How to say "charity" in Arabic
CognateMeaningcharity
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
ṣadaqaצדקה
صدقة
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
tsedakaتْسِدَاكَا
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ص-د-قHebrew root
צ-ד-קצדקה and ṣadaqa are the same word and the same idea: giving to the poor as an act of justice. The root ṣ-d-q means truth and righteousness in both languages — a ṣadīq is a "true" friend.
Learn it
In a phrase
He gave charity to the poor.
The root family
ص-د-قצ-ד-ק· truth, righteousness
One root, two ideals: Hebrew steered it toward justice (צדק, צדיק), Arabic toward truth (ṣidq) — so a ṣadīq is a true friend, not a saint, despite being spelled צדיק. The charity is shared outright: ṣadaqa and צדקה are the same word and the same idea, and many scholars think Arabic absorbed the alms sense from Jewish and Aramaic usage.
- صَدِيق ṣadīqfriend — literally "the true one"צַדִּיקrighteous man — same letters, different hero
- صَدَقَ ṣadaqahe told the truthצָדַקhe was right
- صِدْق ṣidqtruthfulness, sincerityצֶדֶקjustice
- صَدَقَة ṣadaqacharity, almsצְדָקָהcharity — the same word in both
- صَدَّقَ ṣaddaqahe believed (someone)הִצְדִּיקhe justified, vindicated