My First Book of Arabic Words : An ABC Rhyming Book of Arabic Language and Culture

Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page
Introduction
A is for ‘ahlan !
B is for bit-tiikh
C is for car
D is for dar-raajah
E is for Eid al-fitr
F is for fustaan
G is for gorilla
H is for house
I is for ‘ibrah
J is for jubn
K is for kitaab
L is for laymuun
M is for madrasah
N is for najm
O is for ounce
P is for penguin
Q is for qi t-tah
R is for rum-maan
S is for samakah
T is for taaj
U is for ‘uthzun
V is for your voice
W is for wardah
X is for xylophone
Y is for yamaamah
Z is for zaraafah
List of Words
Copyright
Backcover

Citation preview

Introduce children to the basic words and simple vocabulary of

MY FIRST BOOK OF ARABIC WORDS

Arabic through colorful rhymes and beautiful imagery. It’s an A-to-Z introduction to the language offering a personal peek into a little girl’s daily rituals, family traditions and fun-filled adventures. The dynamic diversity and ABCs of life in the Arabic-speaking world are vividly captured in Aya Khalil’s lilting lines and Chaymaa Sobhy’s charming illustrations.

Aya Khalil

AYA KHALIL holds a master’s degree in education. Aya and her books have been featured in Oprah Daily, Teen Vogue, Yahoo!, Washington Post and USA Today. Her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and many other publications. She is also the author of award-winning picture books, including The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story, Our World: Egypt, The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story and The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale. She lives in Ohio with her family. CHAYMAA SOBHY lives in Cairo and is the illustrator of Children’s Favorite Arabic Stories.

T UT T L E

www.tuttlepublishing.com Printed in China  2310EP

US$11.99

T UT T L E

ISBN 978-0-8048-5619-5

‫فُ ْستَان‬

‫قِطَّة‬

fustaan

qi. ah .

My First Book of Arabic Words An ABC Rhyming Book of Arabic Language and Culture Aya Khalil Illustrated by Chaymaa Sobhy by

‫تَاج‬ ‫خالة‬

taaj

khaalah

T UT T L E

My First Book of Arabic Words

Let’s Learn Some Arabic! There are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet, two more than the English alphabet. As some sounds and letters don’t directly correlate, to apply the ABC format to Arabic, a few variants and creative choices are necessary. The rhymes for the letters C, G, H, O, P and V introduce English words first and then their Arabic counterparts. For X, a simple word that doesn’t start with that letter is introduced instead. The chart on page 31 lists the words introduced.

My First Book of Arabic Words An ABC Rhyming Book of Arabic Language and Culture

Aya Khalil Illustrated by Chaymaa Sobhy by

T UT T L E Publishing Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore

Introduction Not every letter and sound in Arabic has a direct counterpart in English. Here’s a guide to the letters and sounds you’ll find in the alphabet rhymes.

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Arabic Letter

Sound

Example

‫ء‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ح‬ ‫خ‬ ‫د‬ ‫ذ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ز‬ ‫س‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ظ‬ ‫ع‬

'

uh[‘]oh

b

bat

t

sat

th

three

J

jar

h

--

kh

kh aled

d

dad

thz

th ere

r

rat

z

zoo

s

sand

sh

sh ip

s

s aw

d

--

t

--

z

--

ç

--

Arabic Letter

Sound

Example

‫غ‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ل‬ ‫م‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ه‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬ َ

gh

--

f

fat

q

cool

k

kit

l

lion

m

money

n

nap

h

hot

w

wow

y

yard

a

cat

َ‫ا‬

aa

tab (extend the /a / sound a little more, as if taaab)

ُ ‫ُو‬ ِ ‫ِي‬

u

pool

uu

zoo

i

ki t

ii

sh ee t

Thanks to Islam Farag, University of Pittsburgh, for the use of his transliteration system.

‫أَ ْه ًل‬

A

‘ahlan is for ‘ahlan !

Welcome, my new friend make yourself at home, you can have the comfy end.

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ِّ ِ‫ب‬ ‫طيخ‬

bit.-t.iikh

B

is for bit, . tiikh . Watermelon ripe and sweet On a humid day like this Our favorite summer treat.

6

‫َسيَّا َرة‬

say-yaarah

C

is for car

say-yaarah is what we say. My mom’s a safe driver slow and steady all the way.

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D ‫َدرَّا َجة‬

is for dar-raajah ,

a bike that's blue and bright.

dar-raajah

Find a friend to ride with and pedal out of sight.

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ْ ِ‫ ِعي ُد ْالف‬E ‫طر‬ çiidu-lfit.r

is for Eid al-fitr,

We celebrate! We eat! Gather at the table. Can you find a seat?

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‫فُ ْستَان‬

fustaan

F

is for fustaan ,

A dress of softest pink. I wear it for my birthday what do you think?

10

‫غوريال‬

ghuriil-lah

G

is for gorilla.

ghuriil-lah , beats his chest. He spends the morning eating then it’s time for a rest.

11

‫منزل‬

H

manzil

is for house

or you can say manzil . .

So glad you’re dropping by sharing stories and a meal.

12

‫إِ ْب َرة‬

‘ibrah

I

is for ‘ibrah

“Look, the rip has spread!” Dad sews up teddy’s back with a needle and some thread.

13

J

is for jubn

I love all kinds of cheese. For breakfast or a snack Can I have some more, please?

14

‫ُج ْبن‬ jubn

‫ِكتَاب‬ kitaab

K

is for kitaab

I take my book everywhere

in the car or to the park just one more page, I swear!

15

‫لَ ْي ُمون‬

laymuun

L

is for laymuun

who wants some lemonade? It's perfect for our picnic delicious and homemade.

16

‫َم ْد َر َسة‬

madrasah

M

is for madrasah

I really love my school. Kindness toward others is the number one rule. 17

‫نَ ْجم‬ najm

N

is for najm

can you spot a star glowing in the darkness shining from so far?

18

O

ُ ‫أوقِيَة‬

is for ounce

‘uuqiyah

My uncle shops for tea 

‘uuqiyah , an ounce of leaves  one for grandma, one for me.

19

ْ ِ‫ب‬ ‫ط ِريق‬ bitt.riiq

P

is for penguin

bittriiq , aren’t they sweet? .

They wobble and they waddle on those tiny webbed feet!

20

‫قِطَّة‬

qit.-t.ah

Q

is for qi t. tah . stroke her, make her purr. My cat is the perfect pet with soft and fluffy fur.

21

‫ُر َّمان‬

rum-maan

R

is for rum-maan .

A pomegranate treat with lemon and some sugar it's sour and it's sweet.

22

‫َس َم َكة‬

samakah

S

is for samakah

Orange, gold and blue A rainbow of different fish hanging with their crew.

23

‫تَاج‬ taaj

T

is for taaj

a golden shiny crown fit for a princess in a flowing sparkly gown.

24

ُ ُ ‫أذن‬

‘uthzun

U

is for ‘uthzun

The baby grabs its ear What’s this funny flap of flesh? It’s what you use to hear.

25

‫ص ْوتُك‬ َ sawtuk

V

is for your voice

sawtuk , clear and loud Tell your story, share it. Pass it on, be proud!

26

‫َو ْر َدة‬

wardah

W

is for wardah

a flower for my mother daisies are her favorite I think I'll pick another.

27

X

is for xylophone,

I play it while my father sings. My aunt, khaalah , on tabla Mama strums the strings.

28

‫خالة‬

khaalah

‫يَ َما َمة‬

yamaamah

Y

is for yamaamah

a gently cooing dove

how gracefully she’s flying and circling above.

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Z

is for zaraafah

A giraffe standing tall

its long neck stretches towering over all.

‫َز َرافَة‬

zaraafah

30

List of Words Let’s review the words we learned and their pronunciations.

Arabic Word

Pronunciation

English Word

Arabic Word

Pronunciation

English Word

‫أَ ْه ًل‬

'ahlan

welcome

najm

star

ِّ ِ‫ب‬ ‫طيخ‬

bit-t iikh

watermelon

‫نَجْ م‬ ‫أُوقِيَة‬

'uuqiyah

ounce

‫َسيَّا َرة‬

say-yaarah

car

bitt riiq

penguin

‫َدرَّا َجة‬

dar-raajah

bike

‫قِطَّة‬

qit -tah

cat

ْ ِ‫ِعي ُد ْالف‬ ‫طر‬

'iidu-lfitr

Eid al-fitr

‫ُر َّمان‬

rum-maan

pomegranate

‫فُ ْستَان‬

fustaan

dress

‫َس َم َكة‬

samakah

fish

‫غوريال‬

ghuriil-lah

gorilla

taaj

crown

‫منزل‬

manzil

house

‫تَاج‬ ‫أُ ُذن‬

'uthzun

ear

‫إِ ْب َرة‬

'ibrah

needle

‫ص ْوتُك‬ َ

sawtuk

voice

‫ُجبْن‬

jubn

cheese

‫َورْ َدة‬

wardah

flower

‫ِكتَاب‬

kitaab

book

‫خالة‬

khaalah

aunt

‫لَ ْي ُمون‬

laymuun

lemon

‫يَ َما َمة‬

yamaamah

dove

‫َم ْد َر َسة‬

madrasah

school

‫َز َرافَة‬

zaraafah

giraffe

ْ ِ‫ب‬ ‫ط ِريق‬

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364 Innovation Drive Text© 2023 Aya Khalil

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Illustrations© 2023 Chaymaa Sobhy

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