سنة هجرية مباركة
sanat hijriyah mubarakah
In Arabic, "happy islamic new year" is said as سنة هجرية مباركة (sanat hijriyah mubarakah).
The phrase سنة هجرية مباركة is used specifically to celebrate the Islamic New Year. It is a way to wish someone a blessed start to the Islamic lunar calendar year.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "a blessed Hijri year". The word sanat means year, hijriyah refers to the Hijri (Islamic) calendar and mubarakah means blessed.
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter عام هجري سعيد or the very common alternative كل عام وأنتم بخير, which literally means "may you be well every year" and is used for any recurring annual occasion.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because sanat (year) is a feminine noun in Arabic, the phrase follows feminine noun-adjective agreement.
How do you pronounce it?
sanat hijriyah mubarakah
Did you know?
- The word سنة (sanat), meaning 'year', shares an ancient linguistic root with the concept of 'sleep' or 'slumber'.
- The term هجرية (hijriyah) is derived from the root meaning 'migration', specifically commemorating the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina. This historical journey is the very reason the calendar is named as it is.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, the greeting is often accompanied by a specific social etiquette of sending sweets or dates to family, turning a verbal phrase into a physical act of hospitality.
Examples in context
- سنة هجرية مباركة لكل الأصدقاء.Sanah hijriyah mubaraka li kull al-asdiqa'.Happy Islamic New Year to all friends.
- سنة هجرية مباركة عليك وعلى عائلتك.Sanah hijriyah mubaraka 'alayka wa 'ala 'a'ilatik.Happy Islamic New Year to you and your family.
Example conversation
Nour and Yusuf are greeting each other on their phones.
- نور Nourسنة هجرية مباركة يا يوسف!Sanah hijriyah mubaraka ya Yusuf!Happy Islamic New Year, Yusuf!
- يوسف Youssefشكراً يا نور، سنة هجرية مباركة لكِ أيضاً.Shukran ya Nur, sanah hijriyah mubaraka laki aydan.Thank you, Nur, Happy Islamic New Year to you too.
- نور Nourهل أنت مستعد للعام الجديد؟Hal anta musta'id lil-'am al-jadid?Are you ready for the new year?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، أتمنى لنا عاماً مليئاً بالخير.Na'am, atamanna lana 'aman mali'an bil-khayr.Yes, I wish us a year full of goodness.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries سنة, CC BY-SA 4.0.
