How to say "song" in Arabic
CognateMeaningsong
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
أُغْنِيَة
ughniyaאע'ניה
أغنية
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
שיר
shirشِير
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-הThe singer entry already flags this rare match: Klein and BDB compare Arabic ghinā ("song") to a little-used Biblical Hebrew sense of ענה — not "to answer," but "to sing, chant," as in Miriam's song at the sea (Exodus 15:21, וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם). Same root, different angle: a song is what you raise your voice to do.
Related Hebrew word:ענהanaأَنَا
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In a phrase
أُغْنِيَة جَمِيلَة
ughniya jamīlaאע'ניה ג'מילהa beautiful song
Plural
أَغَانِي
aghānīאע'אניbroken plural, defective pattern — cited in the everyday spelling; the classical indefinite form drops the ي for tanwin: أَغَانٍ (aghānin)