Arabic vocabulary
غِنَىself-sufficiency in Arabic
غِنَى is how you say “self-sufficiency” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root غ ن ي (gh-n-y)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar)Pronounced ghinā
Meaning of self-sufficiency in Arabic
- freedom from want, sufficiency — given as the direct opposite of فقر (poverty)
- wealth, richness
- contentment, being satisfied with something — so as to need nothing else, as in being content with the Qur'an
غِنَى is the standard opposite of فَقْر (poverty): it covers both material wealth and the broader sense of needing nothing further, as in the hadith about being "content" with the Qur'an. The same root also has a separate cluster of words for singing or chanting (e.g. تَغَنَّى, أُغْنِيَّةٌ), listed in the lexicon alongside this sense but distinct from it.
Words from the same root
- غَنِيٌّrich, wealthy, free from want
- غَنِيَto be free from want, become rich
- أَغْنَىto enrich, make free from want
- اِسْتَغْنَىto become self-sufficient, need nothing
- غُنْيَةٌsufficiency, enough of something
Common questions
- How do you say "self-sufficiency" in Arabic?
- غِنَى (ghinā) — freedom from want, the classical opposite of فقر (poverty).
- What else can غِنَى mean besides "self-sufficiency"?
- It can also mean wealth/richness, or contentment — being satisfied with something so as to need nothing else.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
ويتودد إِلَيْهِ بأنواع إحسانه مع غناه عنه
And who shows affection to him with different types of His kindness while being self-sufficient from him.
غِنَاهُ — being self-sufficient. ghina means 'wealth, self-sufficiency'; the ending '-hu' adds 'His' — 'His self-sufficiency'.
From: Seeds and Streams of Deeds →وغناك قبل فقرك،
And your wealth before your poverty.
وَغِنَاكَ — and your wealth. The joined 'and' plus a noun 'wealth' with an attached 'your' fused on, coordinated as another thing to seize: and your wealth. The possessor rides on the suffix; it continues the command's chain.
From: Seize the Days You Have →قال الأمن مع الفقر خير من الغنى مع الخوف
Related words
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