أخ

See also: اخ, آخ, آچ, and آج

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʾaḫ-, from the root ء خ و (ʔ-ḵ-w). Cognate with Hebrew אח (akh).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔax/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

أَخ • (ʔaḵ) m (construct state أَخُو (ʔaḵū), dual أَخَوَان (ʔaḵawān), plural إِخْوَة (ʔiḵwa) or إِخْوَان (ʔiḵwān), feminine أُخْت (ʔuḵt))

1. brother

Usage notes

• أخ is used literally as well as figuratively. Moreover, أخ includes both full brothers and half brothers. The synonym شَقِيق (šaqīq) refers to full brothers exclusively.

Declension

Declension of noun أَخ (ʔaḵ)

Singular	singular long construct
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَخ ʔaḵ	الْأَخ al-ʔaḵ	أَخُو ʔaḵū
Nominative	أَخٌ ʔaḵun	الْأَخُ al-ʔaḵu	أَخُو ʔaḵū
Accusative	أَخًا ʔaḵan	الْأَخَ al-ʔaḵa	أَخَا ʔaḵā
Genitive	أَخٍ ʔaḵin	الْأَخِ al-ʔaḵi	أَخِي ʔaḵī
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَخَوَيْن ʔaḵawayn	الْأَخَوَيْن al-ʔaḵawayn	أَخَوَيْ ʔaḵaway
Nominative	أَخَوَانِ ʔaḵawāni	الْأَخَوَانِ al-ʔaḵawāni	أَخَوَا ʔaḵawā
Accusative	أَخَوَيْنِ ʔaḵawayni	الْأَخَوَيْنِ al-ʔaḵawayni	أَخَوَيْ ʔaḵaway
Genitive	أَخَوَيْنِ ʔaḵawayni	الْأَخَوَيْنِ al-ʔaḵawayni	أَخَوَيْ ʔaḵaway
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِخْوَة‎; إِخْوَان ʔiḵwa‎; ʔiḵwān	الْإِخْوَة‎; الْإِخْوَان al-ʔiḵwa‎; al-ʔiḵwān	إِخْوَة‎; إِخْوَان ʔiḵwat‎; ʔiḵwān
Nominative	إِخْوَةٌ‎; إِخْوَانٌ ʔiḵwatun‎; ʔiḵwānun	الْإِخْوَةُ‎; الْإِخْوَانُ al-ʔiḵwatu‎; al-ʔiḵwānu	إِخْوَةُ‎; إِخْوَانُ ʔiḵwatu‎; ʔiḵwānu
Accusative	إِخْوَةً‎; إِخْوَانًا ʔiḵwatan‎; ʔiḵwānan	الْإِخْوَةَ‎; الْإِخْوَانَ al-ʔiḵwata‎; al-ʔiḵwāna	إِخْوَةَ‎; إِخْوَانَ ʔiḵwata‎; ʔiḵwāna
Genitive	إِخْوَةٍ‎; إِخْوَانٍ ʔiḵwatin‎; ʔiḵwānin	الْإِخْوَةِ‎; الْإِخْوَانِ al-ʔiḵwati‎; al-ʔiḵwāni	إِخْوَةِ‎; إِخْوَانِ ʔiḵwati‎; ʔiḵwāni

Synonyms

• شَقِيق (šaqīq)

Related terms

• مُكْرَهٌ أَخَاكَ لَا بَطَلٌ (mukrahun ʔaḵāka lā baṭalun, proverb)^[sic]
• إِخَاء (ʔiḵāʔ, verbal noun of آخَى (ʔāḵā))
• إِخَاوَة (ʔiḵāwa)
• أُخْت (ʔuḵt)
• أَخَوِيّ (ʔaḵawiyy, “brotherly”)
• أُخُوَّة (ʔuḵuwwa, “brotherhood”)
• تَآخٍ (taʔāḵin)

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: أخو (uḵu)
• Maltese: ħu
• Moroccan Arabic: أخ (ʔaḵḵ), (construct state) خو (ḵū), (construct state) خا (ḵā)
• → English: ock, akh, akhi
• → Malayalam: ഇക്ക (ikka)
• → Portuguese: Lafões

See also

• (nouns with long construct singular) الْأَسْمَاء السِّتَّة (al-ʔasmāʔ as-sitta); أَب (ʔab), أَخ (ʔaḵ), حَم (ḥam), فَم (fam), ذُو (ḏū), هَن (han) ^{(Category: Arabic nouns with long construct singular)}

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “ءخو”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَخ (ʔaḵ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaxː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

أخ • (ʔaḵḵ) m (construct state خو (ḵū) or خا (ḵā), plural خوت (ḵūt) or خاوة (ḵāwa), feminine أخت (ʔuḵt))

1. brother, male sibling

   Synonym: خوادري (ḵwādri)

   خوك ― ḵūk ― your brother

   ولد خاها ― wuld ḵāha ― her fraternal nephew

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَخ (ʔaḵ).

Noun

أخ • (ʔaḵḵ) m (construct state أخو (ʔaḵu), plural إخوة (ʔiḵwe) or إخوات (ʔiḵwāt) or إخوان (ʔiḵwān), feminine إخت (ʔiḵt))

1. brother

   Synonym: (Lebanon) خي (ḵayy)

Usage notes

• The plural إخوة (ʔiḵwe) is used for actual brothers, إخوات (ʔiḵwāt) can refer to siblings gender-neutrally, while إخوان (ʔiḵwān) is used for brothers in a wider sense (friends, fellow believers etc.).
• When a suffix pronoun is added, either أخ (ʔaḵ-) or the construct form is used, e.g. أخي / أخوي (ʔaḵi / ʔaḵūy, “my brother”).

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَخ (ʔaḵ).

Noun

أخّ • (ʔaḵḵ) m (construct state أخو (ʔaḵu), plural إخوة (ʔiḵwe) or إخوان (ʔiḵwān), feminine أخت (ʔuḵt))

1. Alternative form of أخو (ʔaḵu, “brother”)