Roots and Patterns in Arabic

Most Arabic words are built from a root and a pattern. The root is a set of three consonants that carries a basic meaning, and the pattern is a mould of vowels and extra letters that turns it into a word: ⁨ك ت ب⁩ has to do with writing, and ⁨كَاتِب⁩ means "writer".

Three-Letter Roots

A root (⁨جِذْر⁩) is usually three consonants. Vowels and extra letters such as ⁨م⁩ or ⁨ت⁩ are added around them, but the root letters keep their order. Words from the same root share its basic meaning, so one root gives you a whole family of words.

How Patterns Are Written

Grammarians write every pattern with the letters ⁨ف ع ل⁩ standing for the three root letters. ⁨فَاعِل⁩ means: first root letter, then ā, the second letter with i, then the third letter. Put ⁨ك ت ب⁩ into it and you get ⁨كَاتِب⁩; put ⁨ل ع ب⁩ (to play) into it and you get ⁨لَاعِب⁩ (player).

The Doer and the Done: ⁨فَاعِل⁩ and ⁨مَفْعُول⁩

⁨فَاعِل⁩ names the person who does the action, like "-er" in English. ⁨مَفْعُول⁩ names what the action is done to, like "-ed" in English, and is often used as an adjective.

Places: ⁨مَفْعَل⁩ and ⁨مَفْعَلَة⁩

A ⁨م⁩ in front and an a after the second root letter often give the place where the action happens. Some of these words end in ⁨ة⁩, and a few have i instead of a, like ⁨مَسْجِد⁩ (mosque), from the root of "to bow down in prayer".

Tools: ⁨مِفْعَال⁩

With ⁨مِ⁩ in front and ā before the last root letter, the pattern often names a tool: ⁨مِفْتَاح⁩ (key) is the thing you open with, from ⁨فَتَحَ⁩ (to open). Other tools are ⁨مِنْشَار⁩ (saw), from the root of "to saw", and ⁨مِيزَان⁩ (scale), from ⁨و ز ن⁩ (to weigh), where ⁨و⁩ turns into ⁨ي⁩ after i.

Activities and Professions: ⁨فِعَالَة⁩

⁨فِعَالَة⁩ names an activity, often a craft, a trade or a field of work.

Guessing Meanings

When you meet a new word, look for the three root letters and the pattern. If you know both, you can often guess the meaning: ⁨مَلْعَب⁩ has the root of ⁨لَعِبَ⁩ (to play) and the place pattern, so it is a place for playing. Treat the guess as a starting point: ⁨مَكْتَب⁩ is an office, not any place where people write.

Looking Words Up by Root

Many Arabic dictionaries, such as Hans Wehr's, list words by root, not by their first letter. To find ⁨مَكْتَبَة⁩ you don't look under ⁨م⁩ but under ⁨ك ت ب⁩, where ⁨كِتَاب⁩, ⁨كَاتِب⁩ and ⁨مَكْتَبَة⁩ are listed together. To find the root:

• Take off ⁨ال⁩, endings such as ⁨ة⁩, ⁨ـَات⁩ or ⁨ـُون⁩, and pronoun endings.
• Take off letters that belong to the pattern, such as the ⁨م⁩ of ⁨مَفْعَل⁩ or the ā of ⁨فَاعِل⁩.
• What is left is usually the three root letters in order: ⁨مَلَاعِب⁩ (sports grounds) gives ⁨ل ع ب⁩.
• If only two letters are left, the missing one is often ⁨و⁩ or ⁨ي⁩, which can change or disappear: ⁨مِيزَان⁩ is under ⁨و ز ن⁩.

Common Mistakes

• Looking a word up by its first letter: look for ⁨مَكْتَبَة⁩ under ⁨ك ت ب⁩, not under ⁨م⁩.
• Taking the ⁨م⁩ of a pattern for a root letter: the root of ⁨مَلْعَب⁩ is ⁨ل ع ب⁩, not ⁨م ل ع⁩.
• Mixing up ⁨مَفْعُول⁩ and ⁨مَفْعَل⁩: ⁨مَكْتُوب⁩ is something written, ⁨مَكْتَب⁩ is the place where you write.
• Mixing up ⁨فَاعِل⁩ and ⁨فِعَالَة⁩: ⁨كَاتِب⁩ is the writer, ⁨كِتَابَة⁩ is the writing.

Example Sentences