The Nisba form in Arabic
Nisba or Nisbe (Arabic: نسبة) is the adjective form in Arabic that is formed with the suffix ending -i. There is also the feminine form of it, recognizable by the additional -a. In Arabic, this adjective form looks like this: يّ- or يّة-. We provide you with the Nisba form in Arabic.
The function of the Nisba adjectives
Nisba adjectives denote tribal affiliation, place of origin, denomination, or job title.
Expressing the belonging to a tribe in Arabic
| someone from the tribe of bani Hashim (a tribe in the region of Makkah and Medina) | هاشمي, هاشمية |
| someone from the tribe of Thamud (an extinct tribe mentioned in the Qur’an | تمودي, ثمودية |
Expressing the origin of a place in Arabic
The origin, i. w. which country someone comes from, is marked with the Nisba. Take a look at the examples below and learn some Arabic city and country names at the same time.
| someone from Egypt | مصري, مصرية |
| someone from Algeria | جزائري, جزائرية |
| someone from Bahrain | بحريني, بحرينية |
| someone from Djobouti | جيبوتي, جيبوتية |
| someone from Eritrea | إرتري, إرترية |
| someone from Iraq | عراقي, عراقية |
| someone from Yemen | يمني, يمنية |
| someone from Jordan | أردني, أردنية |
| someone from Qatar | قطري, قطرية |
| someone from Comoros | قمري, قمرية |
| someone from Kuwait | كويتي, كويتية |
| someone from Lebanon | لبناني, لبنانية |
| someone from Libya | ليبي, ليبية |
| someone from Morocco | مغربي, مغربية |
| someone from Mauritania | موريطاني, موريطانية |
| someone from Oman | عماني, عمانية |
| someone from Palestine | فسطيني, فلسينية |
| someone from Saudi Arabia | سعودي, سعودية |
| someone from Somalia | صومالي, صومالية |
| someone from Sudan | سوداني, سودانية |
| someone from Syria | سوري, سورية |
| someone from Chad | تشادي, تشادية |
| someone from Tunisia | تونسي, تونسية |
| someone from the United Arab Emirates | اماراتي, اماراتية |
The Nisba can also be used to express which city a person comes from.
Expressing denomination in Arabic
| christian | مسيحي, مسيحية |
| jew, jewish | يهودي, يهودية |
| islamic – but does not mean Muslim | إسلامي, إسلامية |
Building job titles in Arabic
| pharmacist | صيدلاني, صيدلانية |
| mechanic | ميكانيكي, ميكانيكية |
| journalist | صحلفي, صحافية |
| judge | قاضي, قاضية |
| politician | سياسي, سياسية |
| gardener | بستاني, بستانية |
| police officer | شرطي, شرطية |
| soldier | جندي, جندية |
Casus of the Nisba
Nisba, like the other adjectives, adapt to their corresponding noun in case, gender, number and status.
Example: This is a German policewoman. هذه شرطية ألمانية
Deepening
Nisba can also occur in modified forms, such as in the plural or with the definite article -ال. The plural of Nisba adjectives carries the same ending as the plural normal adjectives. Subject plural, person plural, regular and irregular plurals must be observed.
Nisba können auch in abgewandelter Form vorkommen, wie etwa im Plural oder mit dem bestimmten Artike -ال. Der Plural von Nisba-Adjektiven trägt dieselbe Endung wie der Plural der normalen Adjektive. Sachplural, Personenplural, regelmäßige und unregelmäßige Plurale gelten zu beachten.
Beispiel: These policewoman are German. هذه الشرطيات ألمانيات
The alternative to the Nisba
As an alternative to the Nisba form, the preposition من can also be used to express an affiliation or origin. For example, if you want to make your text varied, you can also switch to the wording with من.
That was The Nisba form in Arabic. If you enjoyed the article, then please feel free to read the article on credit in Arabic here as well.
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