እህት
ʾəht
The Amharic word for "sister" is እህት (ʾəht). Wiktionary also lists እኅት (ʾəḫt).
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| እህት | ʾəht | |
| እኅት | ʾəḫt | /ˈʔɨhɨt/ |
The term refers to a woman or girl who shares the same parents as another person.
Which one should you use?
The forms እህት and እኅት are variations of the same word.
How do you pronounce it?
ʾəht
Did you know?
- Amharic kinship terms like እህት are part of a complex system where the specific word used can change based on the relative age of the siblings.
- The word እህት comes from the Proto-Semitic root *ʔaḫwat-, making it a distant relative of the Hebrew word 'achot' and the Arabic word 'ukht'.
- In Ethiopian social customs, a woman might be addressed as እህት by a stranger as a sign of respect and communal kinship, even if they are not related.
Example sentences for Amharic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Abel is asking Elsa about her family.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethአቤል፣ እህት አለህ?Abel, ehet aleh?Abel, do you have a sister?
- አቤል Abelአዎ፣ አንዲት እህት አለችኝ።awo, andit ehet alechegn.Yes, I have one sister.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethስሟ ማን ይባላል?simwa man yibalal?What is her name?
- አቤል Abelስሟ ማርታ ይባላል።simwa Marta yibalal.Her name is Marta.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries እህት, እኅት, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries እህት, እኅት, CC BY-SA 4.0.
