Arabic vocabulary
كَبِيرbig/great in Arabic
كَبِير is how you say “big/great” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ك ب ر (k-b-r)adjective (intensive/participial adjective)Pronounced kabīr
Meaning of big/great in Arabic
- big, large in size or bulk
- great, important, of high rank or dignity
- old, elder, advanced in age — of a person: senior, grown-up
كَبِير is the everyday opposite of صَغِير and covers three related ideas at once — physical size, importance or rank, and age (an 'elder' or senior person) — the same three senses the root verb كَبُرَ carries.
Words from the same root
- كَبُرَto be or become great, big
- كَبَّرَto magnify; to say 'God is greatest'
- تَكَبَّرَto act proudly, be arrogant
- أَكْبَرُgreater, greatest
- كِبْرِيَاءُgreatness, majesty, pride
Common questions
- How do you say "big/great" in Arabic?
- كَبِير (kabīr).
- What root does كَبِير come from?
- The root ك ب ر (k-b-r), which carries the sense 'to be great, big, or large' across the whole word family.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ جِهَادِ الأَعْدَاءِ
Know that the struggle against one's self is indeed greater than the struggle against enemies.
أَكْبَرَ — greater. akbar means 'greater, bigger'; the '-a' ending — the predicate ('is greater').
From: Resisting Temptation →وَأَنَّ كُلُّ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ وَمَا يَقُولُونَ صَغِيرًا أَوْ كَبِيرًا
And that everything they do and everything they say, whether small or great,
كَبِيرَةً — great. An adjective 'great', kept in the object form with its tanwin to balance 'small' as the other end of the range, joined by the 'or' before it. The accusative-of-state use matches its partner. Together they sweep in deeds and words of every magnitude.
From: How the Companions Preserved Hadith →
Related words
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