Arabic vocabulary
مَعْنَىmeaning
How to say “meaning” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
الذِّكرُ في الإسلامِ ليسَ أصواتًا فارغة، بل معانٍ مكتملة تُنطَق في جُملٍ تامَّة تُغذّي العقلَ والقلب
Remembrance in Islam is not empty sounds, but complete meanings articulated in complete sentences that nourish the mind and heart.
مَعَانٍ — meanings. 'meanings', the positive replacement after 'bal'. Its ending is what this kind of plural shows when indefinite and missing its final root letter — a small spelling quirk of such words.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →لذلك جاء الذكرُ المشروعُ بصيغٍ تحملُ المعنى
Therefore, the prescribed remembrance comes in forms that carry meaning:
المَعْنَى — meaning. 'the meaning', the object of 'carry'. Its final long vowel never changes for case — one of a class of nouns that hold the same shape whether subject, object, or possessor.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →فهي ليستْ لفظًا مُنفردًا، بل جملةٌ مُقدَّرة معناها أبدأ عملي باسمِ الله، فأربطُ الفعلَ بالرّب
it is not an isolated utterance, but an implicit sentence meaning: I begin my action in the name of Allah, thus linking the act to the Lord.
مَعْنَاهَا — its meaning is. 'its meaning is' — 'ma'na' with 'its' attached, opening a mini verbless clause 'its meaning is...'. The suffix points back to the implied sentence.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →أمّا الاقتصارُ على ذِكرِ الاسمِ المُفرَدِ مُجرّدًا من جملةٍ ومعنى فليسَ من هديِ الوحي،
As for merely mentioning the single name detached from a sentence and meaning, it is not part of divine guidance,
وَمَعْنًى — and meaning. 'and a meaning', joined by 'wa', the second thing it is cut off from. Its ending is how this noun shows the genitive when indefinite and ending in a weak letter.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →ميزانُه واضح معنى مُحْكَم وجملةٌ تامّة تشُدُّ القلبَ والعملَ معًا
Its scale is clear: a firm meaning and a complete sentence that ties the heart and the actions together.
مَعْنًى — meaning. 'a meaning', nominative, opening the spelled-out 'measure' in apposition. Its long final vowel holds one shape in every case, so its role shows by position.
From: Remembrance That Reshapes the Heart →وإن زللتَ فـأستغفرُ الله معناها طلبُ سترِ الذنب مع عزمٍ على إصلاحه؛ فالاستغفارُ بلا تصحيحٍ مجرّدُ صوت
And if you slip, 'I seek forgiveness from Allah' means asking for the concealing of the sin with a resolve to correct it; seeking forgiveness without correction is merely sound.
مَعْنَاهَا — its meaning. 'its meaning [is]' — 'ma'na' with 'its' attached, opening a verbless 'its meaning is...'. The 'its' points back to the formula just quoted; the long final vowel is case-proof.
From: Remembrance That Reshapes the Heart →تُعرَض عليه الأعمال يوم القيامة لا كأرقام جافّة، بل كصورٍ ومعانٍ حية لها ثِقَلٌ وحضور
Actions are presented on it on the Day of Judgment not as dry numbers, but as living images and meanings with weight and presence.
وَمَعَانٍ — and meanings. 'and meanings', joined by 'wa', a second genitive after 'ka'. Its ending is how this kind of plural shows the genitive when indefinite and missing its final root letter.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →والتوكل معنى يلتئم من علم العَبْد بكفاية الله
And reliance is a meaning formed from the servant's knowledge of God's sufficiency.
مَعْنًى — a meaning. The predicate naming what reliance is, indefinite nominative (the tanwin on a weak-ending noun) — 'a notion / sense'. Indefinite, framing it as a kind of inner meaning.
From: Humility Before the Divine →وأما تفسيره للعلماء فجائز حسن والاجماع منعقد عليه فمن كان أهلا للتفسير جامعا للأدوات حتى التي يعرف بها معناه وغلب على ظنه المراد فسره
As for interpretation by scholars, it is permissible and good, and consensus is established on it. Whoever is qualified for interpretation, possessing the necessary tools — including those by which its meaning is known — and the intended meaning is most likely in their view, then they may interpret it.
مَعْنَاهُ — its meaning. The thing that 'is known' — 'its meaning,' the Book's — with 'it' attached. As the subject of a passive verb it is what undergoes the knowing; the tools are merely how.
From: How Scholars Read Scripture →فمن كان أهلا للتفسير جامعا للأدوات حتى التي يعرف بها معناه وغلب على ظنه المراد فسره
So whoever is qualified for interpretation, possessing the tools to know its meanings, and his opinion is predominantly correct, he interprets it.
مَعْنَاهُ — its meanings. The thing 'known,' 'its meaning' with 'it' attached — the subject of the passive verb. What undergoes the knowing; the tools are merely how.
From: Quran Interpretation and Debate →معنى يتيم ينتظر من يضمّه
A solitary meaning waiting for someone to embrace it.
مَعْنًى — a meaning. 'a meaning,' indefinite — the third calm 'feature' that surfaces. (Its ending is the special form of words like this, which don't show the usual case-vowel.) A heading; qualified by 'orphaned' next and described by the clause after.
From: Guarding Your Attention →اربط المعنى بصورةٍ وحكايةٍ ومكانٍ في المصحف أو الهامش؛
Connect the meaning with an image, a story, and a place in the Quran or the margin;
المَعْنَى — the meaning. 'the meaning,' the object of 'link' — definite. (This class of word doesn't show the usual -a case-vowel.) The thing to be anchored: a meaning, tied to vivid hooks via 'with' next.
From: Retaining the Quran →ولو فهم معنى التوكل لعلم أنه لا ينافي استغاثته في تلك الحال،
If he understood the true meaning of trust in God, he would realize that it does not conflict with calling for help in such a situation.
مَعْنَى — the meaning. This noun is the thing understood and sits in the object form as the receiver of the understanding. It heads an 'of' pairing, 'the meaning of trust'.
From: Trust in God →وطرس الطلبة على اسمه ورسمه صورة ومعنى
And the students erased his name and form, both in image and meaning.
وَمَعْنًى — and meaning. This is the bound wa- 'and' plus an indefinite noun in the object ending, 'and in meaning', paired with the previous 'in image'. Like its partner it works adverbially, naming the second respect in which the erasing was total; the object ending carries that 'as regards' sense.
From: True Devotion →وَمَعْنَى هَذَا أَنَّ الطَّبْعَ يَتَقَاضَى مَا يَحِبُّ
And the meaning of this is that the natural disposition takes what it loves.
وَمَعْنَى — and the meaning. The conjunction wa- ('and') prefixed to the noun 'meaning', opening a fresh comment that ties back to the prior statement. The noun heads an 'of' link with the demonstrative 'this' that follows ('the meaning of this'). The wa- gives the explanatory, continuing tone.
From: Patience and the Human Self →حَتَّى يَدْخُلُ فِي النَّوْعِ الثَّانِيِّ مِنْ مَعْنَى الْعَبْدِ وَهُوَ الْعَبْدُ بِمَعْنَى الْعَابِدِ
until it enters the second sense of the word "slave", which is the sense of "worshipper".
مَعْنَى — sense. A noun 'meaning/sense' opening a possessive pair, governed by the preceding 'of'. As owner-side it leads into 'sense of the slave', taking the following noun as what it is the sense of.
From: What Worship Really Means →وَالْعِبَادَةُ أَصْلٌ مَعْنَاهَا الذُلُّ أَيْضًا
And worship, in its original sense, also means humility.
مَعْنَاهَا — its meaning. A noun 'its meaning' with 'its' attached, the suffix pointing back to 'worship'. The possessive is built directly onto the noun, and this begins a small clause naming what that meaning is.
From: Faith and Worship →لَكِنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ الْمَأْمُورَةَ بِهَا تَتَضَمَّنُ مَعْنَى الذُّلِّ وَمَعْنَى الْحُبِّ
But the worship that one is commanded to perform includes a sense of humility and a sense of love.
مَعْنَى — a sense of. A noun 'a sense of / meaning' opening a possessive pair and serving as the object of 'includes'. As owner-side it leads into 'a sense of humility', taking the following noun as what it is the sense of.
From: Faith and Worship →لَكِنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ الْمَأْمُورَةَ بِهَا تَتَضَمَّنُ مَعْنَى الذُّلِّ وَمَعْنَى الْحُبِّ
But the worship that one is commanded to perform includes a sense of humility and a sense of love.
وَمَعْنَى — and a sense of. The connecting 'and' fused to a noun 'a sense of', opening a second possessive pair parallel to the first. The 'and' coordinates the two, and this noun, as owner-side, leads into 'a sense of love'.
From: Faith and Worship →أي على رجعه إليه يوم القيامة كما هو قادر على خلقه من ماء هذا شأنه هذا هو الصحيح في معنى الآية
Meaning, He is capable of returning him to Him on the Day of Resurrection just as He is capable of creating him from water. This is the correct interpretation of the verse.
مَعْنَى — interpretation of. The first noun of an 'of' pair, 'meaning', joining straight to 'the verse' with no separate 'of' and taking its definiteness from that owner; it also sits in the form the preceding preposition governs.
From: Creation Points to Resurrection →
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like مَعْنَى through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app