Arabic vocabulary
نَفَرٌgroup in Arabic
نَفَرٌ is how you say “group” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ن ف ر (n-f-r)noun (collective noun)Pronounced nafar
Meaning of group in Arabic
- a group or band of people — especially a small party that sets out together for a task, journey, or fight
- a going forth, a departure — e.g. the pilgrims' departure from Miná, called yawm al-nafar
- aversion, a shrinking away — used as the verbal noun alongside nufūr, as in the Qur'anic illā nufūran
Nafar denotes a small band or party of people who go out together, for a journey, a task, or a fight. The same root underlies the pilgrims' 'departure' from Miná and the verb's basic sense of an animal taking fright and bolting, which extends to shrinking away from something in aversion or dislike.
Words from the same root
- نَفَرَto take fright and run away
- نُفُورٌfright, flight, or aversion
- نَفِيرٌa call to arms, going forth to fight
- نَفَّرَto scare off, frighten away
- اِسْتَنْفَرَto summon people to go forth and fight
Common questions
- How do you say "group" in Arabic?
- نَفَرٌ (nafar) — a small band or party of people who go out together, e.g. for a task, journey, or fight.
- What root does نَفَرٌ come from?
- It comes from the root ن ف ر (n-f-r), whose basic sense is to take fright and flee; nafar narrows this to a group that sets out together.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فبينا عمر في نفر من المسلمين يتحدثون عن يوم بدر،
While Umar was among a group of Muslims discussing the Day of Badr,
نَفَرٍ — a group. nafar means 'a small group of men'; the '-in' ending marks it indefinite — 'a group'.
From: Early Converts to Islam →
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