The key
Every word on these pages carries a marker, and most carry a short code saying what the word is doing. This page says what each of them means. Nothing here has to be learnt first — look up what you meet.
The six markers
The marker sits under the word. It says what kind of word it is, and whether the word comes apart into smaller pieces.
| I | Ism — a naming word. It stands on its own. In the Grammar Guide → |
|---|---|
| F | Fi‘l — a verb. In the Grammar Guide → |
| H | Harf — a particle. It does its work by joining onto something else. In the Grammar Guide → |
| CBI | An ism with something joined to it, so the word comes apart. In the Grammar Guide → |
| CBF | A verb with something joined to it. In the Grammar Guide → |
| CBH | A particle with something joined to it. In the Grammar Guide → |
The colours. Every ism is blue, every verb green, every particle gold, so the shape of an ayah can be read at a glance. A word that comes apart takes the deeper shade of its own colour and its marker is underlined.
One thing to expect. The definite article ال is not counted as a joined element, so a word carrying it still reads as a plain ism — but its pieces are still shown underneath.
How a word comes apart
Arabic joins small words onto the front and back of bigger ones. English does not, so a beginner reading لِلَّهِ has no way of seeing that it is two things. Wherever a word is built from more than one piece, the pieces are set out underneath it, each with its own meaning:
- A prefix on the front — لِ + اللَّهِ
- A suffix on the back — رَبَّ + كُمُ
- Both at once — a question hamza, a verb and a pronoun, all in one word.
A + between the pieces means they were joined. An = means two words were fused together in the writing, so there is no seam to see.
Prefixes
Joined onto the front of a word.
| وَ | and | |
|---|---|---|
| ال | the | الْ |
| لَ | for / to | لِ لْ |
| فَ | so / then | فِ |
| بِ | with / in | |
| أَ | is it? / did? | آ |
| لِل | for the | لَلْ لَل |
| كَ | like | |
| يَا | O | |
| سَ | will |
Attached pronouns
Joined onto the back of a word. This is the commonest reason an Arabic word comes apart. The same pronoun is written several ways depending on what it follows; the variants are in the third column.
| هُمْ | them / their | هِمْ هُمُ هِمُ |
|---|---|---|
| هُ | him / his / it | هِ هْ |
| كُمْ | you / your (pl.) | كُمُ كُّمُ |
| هَا | her / it / its | َهَا |
| نَا | us / our | نا نَّا نًا |
| كَ | you / your | كِ ك كُ |
| ي | me / my | يَ يَّ يِ |
| نِي | me | ني ونِ نِيَ |
| نَّ | emphasis | نِ نِّ ًا |
| هُنَّ | them / their (f.) | هِنَّ |
| هُمَا | them two | هِمَا |
| كُمَا | you two |
Fused words
Two words written as one, with no seam to see. These are shown split apart in a colour of their own.
| لَا | not | |
|---|---|---|
| إِنْ | if | |
| مَا | what | مَاذَا |
| أَنْ | that | إِذْ |
| مِن | from / of | |
| إِنَّ | indeed | |
| مَا | only | |
| أَمْ | or | |
| يَوْم | day | |
| عَن | about / from | |
| مَنْ | whoever | |
| مَا | ever |
The grammar codes
Where a word is made of more than one piece, a short chain under it names each piece in order — N+PRONATT is a naming word with a pronoun joined to it. The examples in the last column are taken from the pages themselves.
N | Ism A naming word — a person, a thing, a quality, an idea. In the Grammar Guide → | الْأَرْضِ the earth · شَيْءٍ thing |
|---|---|---|
V | Fi‘l A verb. In the Grammar Guide → | قَالَ he said · قُلْ say |
PN | Proper name The name of a particular person or place. In the Grammar Guide → | اللَّهَ Allah · اللَّهِ Allah |
ADJ | Describing word A word that describes the one before it. | الدُّنْيَا of the world · رَحِيمٌ most Merciful |
NUM | Number A number. | أَحَدًا anyone · أَحَدٍ one |
P | Harf jarr A preposition. It puts the word after it into the jarr case. In the Grammar Guide → | فِي in · مِنْ from |
CONJ | Joining particle Joins what follows to what came before — and, so, then, or. In the Grammar Guide → | ثُمَّ then · أَوْ or |
PRONATT | Attached pronoun Joins onto the end of a word: him, her, them, you, me, us. This is the piece that makes so many words come apart. | هُمْ them / their · كُمْ you / your (pl.) |
PRONSUBJ | Standing pronoun A pronoun standing on its own as the subject — he, they, you. | هُمْ they · هُوَ he |
PRONNASB | Object pronoun A pronoun standing on its own in the object position — the iyya forms. | إِيَّاهُ him alone · إِيَّانَا worship us |
REL | Relative word The one who, the ones who, what. In the Grammar Guide → | الَّذِينَ those who · مَا what |
DEM | Pointing word This, that, those. In the Grammar Guide → | ذَلِكَ that · هَذَا this |
INTG | Question word What, how, who — or the question hamza on the front of a word. In the Grammar Guide → | كَيْفَ how · مَا what |
NEG | Negation Not. In the Grammar Guide → | لَا not · مَا not |
PRO | Prohibition The la that forbids: do not. In the Grammar Guide → | لَا do not |
ACC | Inna and its sisters They put the noun after them into the nasb case. In the Grammar Guide → | إِنَّ indeed · إِنَّمَا only |
SUB | Subordinating particle Puts the verb after it into the nasb case and turns the clause into a noun — that, in order to, until. In the Grammar Guide → | أَنْ that · حَتَّى until |
COND | Conditional If, whoever. | إِنْ if · لَوْ if |
T | Word of time When, after, before. | إِذَا when · إِذْ when |
LOC | Word of place Between, with, near. | بَيْنَ between · عِنْدَ near |
ADV | Accompaniment With, along with. | مَعَ with · مَعَهُ with him |
LAM | The joined lam A lam on the front of a word — for, to, or emphasis. | لَ for / to · لْ for / to |
CERT | Certainty Indeed, certainly. | قَدْ verily · لَقَدْ certainly |
FUT | Future Will, soon. | سَوْفَ soon · سَ will |
VOC | Calling particle O — used to call or address. In the Grammar Guide → | يَاأَيُّهَا o you · يَاأَيُّهَ o |
RES | Restriction Except, but — it narrows what came before to one thing. | إِلَّا except · إِنْ if |
EXP | Exception Except — it takes something out of what came before. | إِلَّا except · لَمَّا but |
RET | Taking back Nay, rather — it withdraws what was just said. | بَلْ nay · بَلِ nay |
AMD | Qualifying But — it qualifies what came before. | لَكِنِ but · لَكِنْ but |
AVR | Rebuke Nay, by no means. | كَلَّا nay |
ANS | Reply Yes. | بَلَى yes · نَعَمْ yes |
INC | Opening particle Draws attention to what follows — unquestionably, beware. | أَلَا unquestionably |
EXH | Urging or reproach Why not — it urges, or reproaches for something not done. | لَوْلَا why not |
SUR | Particle of surprise And suddenly, and there it was. | إِذًا then · إِذَا behold |
EXL | Alternative Either, or. | إِمَّا whether · إِنْ if |
ZAID | Extra particle Adds no meaning of its own. It strengthens or fills out the phrase. In the Grammar Guide → | مَا is what |
INL | Opening letters The disconnected letters that begin some surahs — Alif Lam Mim and the rest. They are read letter by letter. | حم ha meem · الر alif laam ra |
ATT | Attention particle Placed on the front of a word to draw attention to it. | هَـٰ here / behold |
IMPN | Command noun A verbal noun used as a command. | مِسَاسَ touch · هَاؤُمُ here |
Updated