Adjectives In Arabic: 200+ List Of Common Arabic Adjectives

Adjectives are an integral part of any language, and Arabic is no exception. These descriptive words add color and detail to our sentences, helping us to better convey our thoughts and ideas. 

In this lesson, we will explore the various aspects of adjectives in Arabic, including their forms, uses, and variations.

What Is Adjectives In Arabic?

In Arabic the adjective (a word describing the noun) is either called “Na’t” نَعْتٌ or “As-siffah” الصِّفَةُ, and the noun it qualifies is called “Man’ut مَنْعُوتٌ or “Al-mawsuff” الْمَوْصُوفُ and the clause thus formed is called either النَّعْتُ والْمَنْعُوتُ  or الْمُرَكَّبُ الوَصْفِيُّ . 

In Arabic, adjectives are placed after the noun they describe, and they must match the gender and number of the noun.

In the English language, when we want to describe a noun we say for example a good boy, the adjective (description) comes before the noun. 

However in Arabic the word being used for the description (adjective) comes after the noun, for example,  وَلَدٌ جَيِّدٌ or طَالِبٌ كَسْلانُ if translated linguistically means “Boy good” or “student lazy” but literally it means “Good boy” or “Lazy student“.

• A dirty handkerchief   مِنْدِيلٌ وَسِخٌ
• An intelligent student  طَالِبَةٌ ذَكِيَّةٌ

The adjectives that express feelings normally end with (-an) and bear no Tanween on their ending letters e.g:

• Thirsty   عَطْشَانُ
• Hungry   جَوْعَانُ
• Full   مَلآنُ
• Angry   غَضْبَانُ
• Happy   فَرْحَانُ

One of the unique features of Arabic adjectives is their system of agreement. In Arabic, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender and number. 

For example, if the noun is masculine and singular, the adjective must also be masculine and singular. If the noun is feminine and plural, the adjective must be feminine and plural. 

This agreement is important for ensuring that the adjective and noun match in gender and number, and it helps to make the sentence clear and grammatically correct.

READ ALSO Arabic Personal Pronouns With Examples (Essential Guide)

Rules Of Adjective In Arabic

Following are the rules pertained for the formation of the adjective clause:

• Definiteness agreement
• Number Agreement
• Gender Agreement
• Case Agreement

Definiteness agreement

When an adjective is added to describe a noun or a noun phrase, it must agree with it in definiteness. That is, the indefinite noun is followed by an indefinite adjective, and the definite noun is follow by a definite adjective

Both the adjective and the noun must be either definite or indefinite. 

Therefore if the noun is definite, then the adjective which is describing the noun will also be definite e.g.  الْمَكْتَبُ الْقَدِيمُ meaning “The old table” and when the noun is indefinite the adjective will also be indefinite e.g. كِتَابٌ جَدِيدٌ meaning “A new book“. More examples:

• The big city  الْمَدِينَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ
• A poor man  رَجُلٌ فَقِيرٌ

Note that if the adjective after the nouns or the noun phrases is نَكِرَة (indefinite), it is no longer an adjective. Instead, it is a noun functioning as خَبَر forming a nominal sentence. For example الكِتَاب جَدِيْد means the book is new not the new book.

Gender Agreement

The adjective always follows the noun which it is describing in gender. The adjective of a masculine noun is masculine and that of a feminine noun is feminine. For example we say: 

• A young boy   وَلَدٌ صَغِيرٌ  
• A young girl   بِنْتٌ صَغِيرَةٌ
• A famous engineer   مُهَنْدِسٌ شَهِيرٌ
• A tasty apple   تُفَّاحَةٌ لَذِيذَةٌ

Examples of female and male adjectives are:

Number Agreement

When an adjective is added to a noun, it must agree with it in number. That is, if the noun is singular, the adjective must be singular; if it is dual, the adjective must be dual; and if it plural, the adjective must be plural.

Arabic Dual Adjectives

Another interesting feature of Arabic adjectives is the use of the dual form, which is used to describe nouns that come in dual. ان is added to nouns to make dual for masculine and feminine.

Consider the following examples:

• Two observant Muslims  مُسْلِمَان مُلْتَزِمَان
• Two excellent engineers  مُهْنْدِسَان مُمْتَازَان
• Two new books   كِتَابَان جَدِيْدَان
• Two beautiful girls   بِنْتَان جَمِيْلَتَان

Arabic Plural Adjectives

Some examples of Arabic plural adjectives are:

Case Agreement

In addition to matching the gender and number of the noun, Arabic adjectives must also agree with the noun in case. 

This means that the ending of the adjective must change depending on the role of the noun in the sentence.

In Arabic, adjectives can have up to three different forms, depending on their use in the sentence. 

• The first form, known as the nominative, is used when the adjective is the subject of the sentence. 
• The second form, known as the accusative, is used when the adjective is the direct object of the sentence. 
• The third form, known as the genitive, is used when the adjective is the object of a preposition.

The adjective has the same case as the noun i.e., if the noun is in the nominative case, the adjective will also be in the nominative case e.g., الدَّرْسُ الصَّعْبُ meaning “The difficult lesson“, 

If the noun is in the accusative case then the adjective will also be in the accusative case and if the noun is in the genitive case then the adjective will also be in the genitive case e.g. ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إلى صَدِيقٍ مَرِيضٍ Ahmad went to an ill friend.

Nominative Examples

• This is a new teacher   هَـٰذَا مُدَرِّسٌ جَدِيدٌ
• The old book is at home   الْكِتَابُ القَدِيمُ فِي الْبَيْتِ
• America is a big country   أَمْرِيكَا بَلَدٌ كَبِيرٌ
• This is the new fan   هَـٰذِهِ الْمِرْوَحَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ
• A seagull is a beautiful bird   النَّوْرَسُ طَيْرٌ جَمِيلٌ
• This is a crowded road   هَذَا طَرِيقٌ مُزْدَحِمٌ
• The clean room  الْغُرْفَةُ النَّظِيفَةُ

Genitive examples

• The pen is in the small bag  الْقَلَمُ فِي الْحَقِيبَةِ الصَّغِيرَةِ
• The water is in a broken glass  الْمَاءُ فِي كَأْسٍ مَكْسُورٍ
• Ahmad entered into a vast building  دَخَلَ أَحْمَدُ فِي مَنْزِلٍ كَبِيرٍ

Case is called عَلاَمَة الإِعْرَاب ‘word final diacritical mark / parsing mark’ in Arabic. There are three basic parsing marks فَتْحَة, ضَمَّة, and كَسْرَة. 

• When the noun or the adjective is assigned ضَمَّة, it is called مَرْفُوْع ‘nominative’. 
• If assigned فَتْحَة, it is called مَنْصُوب ‘accusative’. 
• If assigned كَسْرَة, it is called مَجْرُور ‘genitive.’

The secondary parsing marks are ان, وَن, يْنِ, and يْنَ. The ان is for masculine and feminine dual, and the وَن is for sound masculine plural. Both mark the nominative case. 

The يْنِ with kasrah below the nuun is for dual, and the يْنَ with fatHah over the nuun is for the sound masculine plural. They mark the accusative and genitive cases.

Case assignment is determined by the position of the word in the sentence or by certain particles that precede the noun.

One common mistake made by learners of Arabic is not properly conjugating the adjective to match the gender and number of the noun.

List Of Arabic Adjectives To Describe A Person

Below you will find a list of many Arabic adjectives useful while describing someone’s personality.

List Of Adjectives In Arabic And English

Here is a list of many Arabic adjectives useful in Arabic and English.

pronunciation written next to it.

In order for the adjective to be feminine, we must add ta marbuta [ة] at the end of it. For example: جَميل [jamiil] (beautiful masculine) – جَميلة [jamiila] (beautiful feminine).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Arabic adjectives are an essential part of the language and add richness to the sentences. With practice and exposure to the language, it is possible to become proficient in using adjectives in Arabic.