سَمْعٌ hearing, ears in Arabic
سَمْعٌ is how you say “hearing, ears” in Arabic.
Root س م ع s-m-ʿ. noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of سَمِعَ). samʿ.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of hearing, ears in Arabic
- hearing; the faculty or act of hearing the primary maṣdar (verbal noun) of سَمِعَ, 'he heard'
- ear(s) concrete sense; cf. the plural أَسَامِع, 'ears', used in a hadith on God exposing hidden intentions
Example sentence
فارجع إلى الله واطلبه من عينك وسمعك وقلبك ولسانك،
Return to God and seek Him with your eyes, ears, heart, and tongue.
وَسَمْعِكَ your ears
wa- = 'and'; sam means 'hearing'; the ending '-ka' adds 'your' — 'your hearing'.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
سَمْعٌ is the main verbal noun of سَمِعَ and is used both abstractly, for the faculty or act of hearing, and concretely, for the ear itself — its plural أَسَامِع ('ears') appears in a hadith warning that God will make the ears of His creatures hear of one who acts only to be seen and heard.
Words from the same root
- سَمِعَ to hear, listen to; also to understand, to accept/answer (e.g. a prayer), or to obey
- اِسْتَمَعَ to listen attentively, hearken (marks intentional listening, unlike samiʿa which covers unintentional hearing too)
- سَمَّعَ to make (someone) hear; also, to make a person or deed notorious by spreading word of it
- سَمَاعٌ hearing, listening (a related simple noun alongside samʿ)
- سِمْعٌ hearing (a simple noun synonymous with samʿ)
- سُمْعَةٌ reputation, notoriety — what people have 'heard of'
More example sentences
وَإِذا تجلى بِصفة السّمع وَالْبَصَر وَالْعلم
And when He manifests in the attributes of hearing, seeing, and knowledge.
السَّمْعِ of hearing
The owner completing 'the attribute of hearing', genitive, definite. The first faculty named.
وَصَارَ كَلَامهم بسمع الرَّسُول والصدّيق
And their words reached the ears of the Messenger and the Truthful One.
بِسَمْعِ with the hearing
'Bi-' (within / at) fused with 'hearing', first term of an 'of' pairing — 'within earshot of the Messenger'; it governs the genitive. The 'bi-' marks the place reached; it owns the noun that follows.
فَالْحَالَةُ الْعَامَّةُ أَنَّ الْقَلْبَ لَا يَكُونُ عَلَى صِفَتِهِ مِنَ الْيَقَظَةِ عِنْدَ سَمْعِ الْمَوْعِظَةِ وَبَعْدِهَا؛
Generally, the heart is not in a state of wakefulness when hearing an admonition and afterward.
سَمْعِ hearing
This action-noun names the act of hearing and sits in the genitive the preposition governs. It heads an 'of' pairing with the admonition: 'the hearing of the admonition'.
Common questions
- How do you say "hearing" in Arabic?
- سَمْعٌ (samʿ).
- What root does سَمْعٌ come from, and what else is built on it?
- The triliteral root س م ع (s-m-ʿ), 'to hear, listen', which also gives سَمِعَ ('he heard'), اِسْتَمَعَ ('he listened attentively'), and سَمَّعَ ('he made someone hear' / 'made notorious').
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).