أخ صغير
akh saghir/ʔax sˤa.ɣiːr/word by word
The English phrase "little brother" is translated into Arabic as أخ صغير (akh saghir).
This phrase is used to refer to a male sibling who is younger than the speaker or another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of أخ, which means "brother" and صغير, which means "small" or "little".
Which one should you use?
To refer to a "big brother" or an "older brother", you replace the adjective صغير (small) with كبير (big).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can say أخوي الصغير to mean "my small brother".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Arabic, the adjective صغير (small) follows the noun أخ (brother) to modify it.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʔax sˤa.ɣiːr/. The romanization is akh saghir.
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, an older brother is seen as a secondary father figure, making the distinction between أخ كبير (big brother) and أخ صغير (little brother) a marker of authority.
- In some dialects, calling someone أخوك الصغير (your little brother) can be used idiomatically to describe someone who is naive or inexperienced.
- The word أخ is inherited from the Proto-Semitic root *ʔaḫw-, making it a linguistic relative to the word for 'brother' in other ancient Semitic languages.
Examples in context
- أنا أحب أخي الصغيرI love my little brother
- كيف حال أخوي الصغير؟How is my little brother doing?
- عندي أخ صغير.indi akh sagheer.I have a little brother.
- هل لديك أخ صغير؟hal ladayka akh sagheer?Do you have a little brother?
Example conversation
Omar and Layla are talking about their families.
- عمر Omarأنا عندي أخ صغير.ana indi akh saghir.I have a little brother.
- ليلى Laylaكم عمره يا عمر؟kam umruhu ya Omar?How old is he, Omar?
- عمر Omarأخي الصغير عمره خمس سنوات.akhi al-saghir umruhu khams sanawat.My little brother is five years old.
- ليلى Laylaهذا جميل جداً.hadha jamil jiddan.That is very beautiful.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (أخ, صغير) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أخ, صغير, CC BY-SA 4.0.
