Arabic vocabulary
جنبside in Arabic
جنب is how you say “side” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ج ن ب (j-n-b)noun (substantive)Pronounced janb
Meaning of side in Arabic
- the side, or flank, of the body or of a thing
جَنْبٌ names the physical side or flank, as in the disease ذات الجنب ('of the side', pleurisy). The same root extends metaphorically to distance and removal, giving verbs for warding off or keeping away, and nouns for a stranger among a people and for the south wind.
Words from the same root
- أَجْنَبَto keep away from, avert
- جَنُوبٌthe south, or south wind
- جَنَابَةٌbeing a stranger, remote from kin
- جَنَبَto lead an animal by its side
- جِنَابٌleading a spare horse during a race
Common questions
- How do you say "side" in Arabic?
- جَنْبٌ (janb) — the standard word for the side or flank, of the body or of a thing.
- What does the root of جنب mean across its related words?
- The root ج ن ب centers on being at the side or putting something at a distance, which also produces words for keeping away (أجنب), a stranger (جنابة), and the south wind (جنوب).
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
وَلَيْسَ بِشَاغِلٍ يَشْغَلُكَ عَنِ اللَّهِ كَنَفْسِكَ الَّتِي هِيَ بَيْنَ جَنْبَيْكَ
And nothing can distract you from Allah like your own self between your sides.
جَنْبَيْكَ — your sides. 'janb' = 'side'; the '-ay-' marks two (a dual, 'two sides'); '-ka' = 'your', so 'your two sides'.
From: Taming the Lower Self →
Related words
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