أم
ʔumm/ʔumm/
The English phrase "mother of" is expressed in Arabic using أم (ʔumm).
أم is used to refer to a female parent of a person or animal.
How does it change in a sentence?
أم is the singular form for "mother". The plural form is أمهات. When used in a possessive construction, أم acts as the first part of the phrase "mother of".
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔumm/
Did you know?
- Arabic has a second, completely different word أم that acts as a question particle meaning 'or'. This word is spelled exactly the same as the word for 'mother' but functions as a tool for choosing between two options.
- Calling a woman أم followed by her eldest son's name is a social custom known as a 'kunya' and is used as a sign of respect even by strangers.
- In Arabic, أم is used to name the 'mother' of non-human things, such as أم القرى meaning 'Mother of Villages' for the city of Mecca.
Examples in context
- لأنني أمّ الطفل عليه العيش معي.Since I am the mother of the child, he should live with me.This sentence is useful for illustrating the use of أم in the context of a mother's right to live with her child.Tatoeba #4923358 by Safa_Alfulaij, translation #4921997 by DostKaplan
- ليلى أمّ لستّة أطفال، تعيش جنوب شرق إنكلترا.Layla is a mother of six, living in the south west of England.This sentence shows how to use أم to describe a woman as a mother of a certain number of children.Tatoeba #7353231 by OsoHombre, translation #7347966 by OsoHombre
- الحاجة أم الإختراع.Necessity is the mother of invention.This sentence demonstrates the use of أم in the proverbial expression "Necessity is the mother of invention".Tatoeba #1337852 by enteka, translation #19549 by papabear
- أمّ أحمدMother of Ahmad
- أمّ محمدMother of Muhammad
- أمّ فاطمةMother of Fatimah
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Youssef and Sarah are looking at a photo of a woman and her baby.
- يوسف Youssefهل هذه أم الطفل؟Hal hadhihi umm al-tifl?Is this the mother of the child?
- سارة Saraنعم، إنها أم جميلة.Na'am, innaha umm jamila.Yes, she is a beautiful mother.
- يوسف Youssefتبدو سعيدة جداً.Tabdu sa'idatan jiddan.She looks very happy.
- سارة Saraالأم دائماً سعيدة مع طفلها.Al-umm da'iman sa'idatun ma'a tifliha.A mother is always happy with her child.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry أم, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أم, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
