Arabic vocabulary
سَمْعٌhearing, ears in Arabic
سَمْعٌ is how you say “hearing, ears” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root س م ع (s-m-ʿ)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of سَمِعَ)Pronounced samʿ
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
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
- سَمِعَto hear, listen to; also to understand, to accept/answer (e.g. a prayer), or to obey
- اِسْتَمَعَto listen attentively, hearken (marks intentional listening, unlike samiʿa which covers unintentional hearing too)
- سَمَّعَto make (someone) hear; also, to make a person or deed notorious by spreading word of it
- سَمَاعٌhearing, listening (a related simple noun alongside samʿ)
- سِمْعٌhearing (a simple noun synonymous with samʿ)
- سُمْعَةٌreputation, notoriety — what people have 'heard of'
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').
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
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'.
From: Knowledge, Reverence, Obedience →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.
From: Humility Before the Divine →وَصَارَ كَلَامهم بسمع الرَّسُول والصدّيق
Related words
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