Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
حَرْف (نَوْع الْكَلِمَة)
harf (naw' al-kalima)
Particle (harf) — word class tag
Nahw · syntaxWord classcore term33,542+ in the Qur'an
In one line
The word-class tag for particles — the small linking words that are neither noun nor verb.
Classical definition
وَالْحَرْفُ مَا دَلَّ عَلَى مَعْنًى فِي غَيْرِهِ، كَهَلْ وَفِي وَلَمْ.
“The particle is that which points to a meaning in something other than itself — like هَلْ, فِي and لَمْ.”
(قطر الندى لابن هشام)
Key words in the Arabic
فِي غَيْرِهِin something other than itself
Understand it
This is the HARF tag used in ILMHUB lesson notes. The particle contributes its meaning only in company: فِي means “in” only once something sits after it. The main harf entry, linked below, gives the tests and the common examples.
How to spot it
Recognition test
A short word that refuses every ism-sign and every fi'l-sign, and only completes its meaning through what follows it: tag it HARF.
Related terms