خَفِيف light in Arabic
خَفِيف is how you say “light” in Arabic.
Root خ ف ف kh-f-f. adjective (participial/intensive adjective, faʿīl pattern). khafīf.
Arabic
English
The audio uses AI voices.
Meaning of light in Arabic
- light (in weight) said of a thing that is light of body or material substance; the opposite of ثقيل 'heavy'.
- brisk, agile, active, quick tropical use: prompt and lively in work or service, e.g. of someone who is obedient and quick to respond.
- light-witted, fickle, unsteady tropical use describing lightness of intellect or temperament — easily swayed, irresolute.
- quick-witted, sharp, clever an alternate tropical nuance of the same 'light in intellect' idea, taken in a positive sense.
Example sentence
كلمتان خفيفتان على اللِّسَان ثقيلتان فِي الْمِيزَان حبيبتان إِلَى الرَّحْمَن سُبْحَانَ الله وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَانَ الله الْعَظِيم
"Two words light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, beloved to the Most Merciful: Glory be to Allah and with His praise, Glory be to Allah the Great."
خَفِيفَتَانِ two light
'two light ones', adjective on 'two words', in the DUAL to agree — both the number and the -ani dual ending match. Arabic makes the adjective copy the dual just as the noun has it.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
خفيف is the standard opposite of ثقيل ('heavy') and is used both literally, for physical weight, and tropically, for character (brisk, agile, quick to obey) or intellect (light-witted/fickle, or, in a more positive sense, sharp and clever). The related verb خفّف underlies the Qur'anic term تخفيف ('alleviation', Q2:174), used for the easing of a burden or a religious rule.
Words from the same root
- خَفَّ to be or become light (of weight; also tropically, of conduct, work, or intellect)
- خَفَّفَ to make light, lighten, alleviate (e.g. a burden or a rule)
- خِفَّةٌ lightness (the verbal noun of خَفَّ, used both literally and figuratively)
More example sentences
كلمتان خفيفتان على اللِّسَان ثقيلتان فِي الْمِيزَان حبيبتان إِلَى الرَّحْمَن سُبْحَانَ الله وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَانَ الله الْعَظِيم
"Two phrases that are light on the tongue, heavy on the balance, and beloved to the Most Merciful: 'Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, Glory be to Allah, the Most Great.'"
خَفِيفَتَانِ two light
'two light ones', adjective on 'two words', in the DUAL to agree — number and the -ani ending both match.
السرّ أن الثِّقَال في الميزان من طبيعة الحقّ؛ فهو ثابتٌ مُحكَم، والباطل خفيفٌ مُتلاشي، وإن بدا ضخمًا في أعين الناس
The secret is that the weight in the balance stems from the nature of truth; it is firm and solid, while falsehood is light and vanishing, even if it appears large in people's eyes.
خَفِيفٌ light
'light, weightless', nominative indefinite — its predicate. The deliberate opposite of truth's 'firm'.
Common questions
- How do you say "light" in Arabic?
- خَفِيف (khafīf).
- What is the root of خفيف?
- The geminate root خ ف ف (kh-f-f), the same root behind خَفَّ 'to be light' and خِفَّة 'lightness'.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).