ፍቅር
fəḳr
The English word 'love' translates to Amharic as ፍቅር (fəḳr). Wiktionary also lists መውደድ (mäwdäd).
Meaning: strong affection (noun)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ፍቅር | fəḳr |
| መውደድ | mäwdäd |
ፍቅር is the most common and general term for 'love' in Amharic. You can use it to express strong affection as a noun, or use the related forms ማፍቀር and መውደድ to express the action of having a strong affection for someone or something.
Which one should you use?
The noun ፍቅር refers to the concept of love itself. In contrast, መውደድ is the gerund/infinitive form often used to express the act of liking or loving.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
fəḳr
Did you know?
- The root of ፍቅር is ፈ-ቀ-ረ, which is part of a broader Semitic language family, making it a distant relative of the Arabic word for 'love' or 'affection'.
- Even though ፍቅር is gender-neutral, the way you express 'I love you' changes completely depending on whether you are speaking to a man or a woman.
- The phrase ፍቅር እስከ መቃብር, meaning 'love until the grave', is a famous literary motif in Ethiopian culture, often appearing in romantic tragedies and folk songs.
Examples in context
- ፍቅር ለሁላችንም ያስፈልጋል።fiqir lehullachinim yasfeligal.Love is necessary for all of us.
- እሱ ለቤተሰቡ ትልቅ ፍቅር አለው።esu lebetesebu tiliq fiqir alew.He has great love for his family.
- ፍቅር በዓለም ላይ ትልቅ ኃይል ነው።fiqir be'alem layi tiliq hayil new.Love is a great power in the world.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “love” translations and entries ፍቅር, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ፍቅር, CC BY-SA 4.0.
