Arabic vocabulary
نَاحِيَةٍarea in Arabic
نَاحِيَةٍ is how you say “area” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ن ح و (n-ḥ-w)noun (feminine active-participle form, fāʿila used in the sense of mafʿūla)Pronounced nāḥiya
Meaning of area in Arabic
- side, flank; a lateral or outward part of something — the basic sense, equivalent to جانب (jānib)
- region, district, quarter, or tract; a part of a country or province
- an apartment or section of a house
- aside, apart (in the phrase عَلَى نَاحِيَةٍ / فِى نَاحِيَةٍ) — used adverbially: جلس في ناحية منهم = 'he sat apart from them'
Nāḥiya literally denotes a point one goes towards, hence any side, part, or district considered in relation to a whole. Its plural nawāḥin covers the outer parts or regions of a thing, and the singular is often best rendered simply as 'a part' or 'a region' of a place.
Words from the same root
- نَحَاto go towards, or in the direction of, someone or something (form I)
- نَحَّىto put a thing aside or away, remove it from its place (form II)
- أَنْحَىto lean or press upon; to apply forcefully, e.g. a knife or a blow (form IV)
- تَنَحَّىto withdraw, move away, or retire to a distance (form V)
- اِنْتَحَىto fall or incline forward, as in prostration (form VIII)
- نَحْوٌdirection, likeness, quantity; also 'about' in approximations (e.g. نحو ثلاثة, 'about three')
- نِحْىٌa skin for holding liquids or clarified butter
Common questions
- How do you say "area" in Arabic?
- نَاحِيَة (nāḥiya) — it also covers 'side,' 'region,' 'district,' and 'part' of a place.
- What does نَاحِيَة literally mean?
- Literally 'a thing gone towards' (from the root nḥw, 'to go toward'), used for a side, part, or district of something.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فَإِذا دخل على الحبيب أفيضت عَلَيْهِ الْخلْع من كل نَاحيَة
When he meets the beloved, gifts are poured upon him from all sides.
نَاحِيَةٍ — sides. 'Side / direction', the owner completing 'every direction', genitive (the tanwin), indefinite. The robes of honor pour in from all around.
From: Stages of the Seeker →
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