ابن

See also: أبن, أثن, اثن, أتن, and آتن

Arabic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *bin-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ibn/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

اِبْن • (ibn) m (plural أَبْنَاء (ʔabnāʔ) or بَنُون (banūn) or بَنَات (banāt), feminine اِبْنَة (ibna) or بِنْت (bint))

1. son

   بُنَيَّ/بُنَيَّتِي ― bunayya/bunayyatī ― my dear son/daughter (diminutive)

   اِبْنُ آدَمَ ― ibnu ʔādama ― human (literally, “son of Adam”)

2. descendant, scion
3. offspring, son of the fatherland
4. member (of a group or set of people or things)

Usage notes

• The plural بَنَات (banāt) is used as the plural of اِبْن (ibn) if and only if the referents are things or non-human animals.

Declension

Declension of noun اِبْن (ibn)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	اِبْن ibn	الِابْن al-ibn	اِبْن ibn
nominative	اِبْنٌ ibnun	الِابْنُ al-ibnu	اِبْنُ ibnu
accusative	اِبْنًا ibnan	الِابْنَ al-ibna	اِبْنَ ibna
genitive	اِبْنٍ ibnin	الِابْنِ al-ibni	اِبْنِ ibni
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	اِبْنَيْن ibnayn	الِابْنَيْن al-ibnayn	اِبْنَيْ ibnay
nominative	اِبْنَانِ ibnāni	الِابْنَانِ al-ibnāni	اِبْنَا ibnā
accusative	اِبْنَيْنِ ibnayni	الِابْنَيْنِ al-ibnayni	اِبْنَيْ ibnay
genitive	اِبْنَيْنِ ibnayni	الِابْنَيْنِ al-ibnayni	اِبْنَيْ ibnay
plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; sound masculine plural‎; sound feminine plural
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	أَبْنَاء‎; بَنِين‎; بَنَات ʔabnāʔ‎; banīn‎; banāt	الْأَبْنَاء‎; الْبَنِين‎; الْبَنَات al-ʔabnāʔ‎; al-banīn‎; al-banāt	أَبْنَاء‎; بَنِي‎; بَنَات ʔabnāʔ‎; banī‎; banāt
nominative	أَبْنَاءٌ‎; بَنُونَ‎; بَنَاتٌ ʔabnāʔun‎; banūna‎; banātun	الْأَبْنَاءُ‎; الْبَنُونَ‎; الْبَنَاتُ al-ʔabnāʔu‎; al-banūna‎; al-banātu	أَبْنَاءُ‎; بَنُو‎; بَنَاتُ ʔabnāʔu‎; banū‎; banātu
accusative	أَبْنَاءً‎; بَنِينَ‎; بَنَاتٍ ʔabnāʔan‎; banīna‎; banātin	الْأَبْنَاءَ‎; الْبَنِينَ‎; الْبَنَاتِ al-ʔabnāʔa‎; al-banīna‎; al-banāti	أَبْنَاءَ‎; بَنِي‎; بَنَاتِ ʔabnāʔa‎; banī‎; banāti
genitive	أَبْنَاءٍ‎; بَنِينَ‎; بَنَاتٍ ʔabnāʔin‎; banīna‎; banātin	الْأَبْنَاءِ‎; الْبَنِينَ‎; الْبَنَاتِ al-ʔabnāʔi‎; al-banīna‎; al-banāti	أَبْنَاءِ‎; بَنِي‎; بَنَاتِ ʔabnāʔi‎; banī‎; banāti

Alternative forms

• بْن (bn)

Related terms

• بُنُوَّة (bunuwwa)
• بَنَوِيّ (banawiyy)
• تَبَنٍّ (tabannin)

Descendants

• Hijazi Arabic: ابن (ibin)
• Maltese: iben
• Moroccan Arabic: بن (bin)
• → Swahili: bin

Etymology 2

Verb

اِبْنِ • (ibni) (form I) /ib.ni/

1. second-person masculine singular imperative of بَنَى (banā)

References

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

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Aleppo) /ʔibn/, [ˈʔɨbən]
• IPA^(key): (Beirut) /ʔibn/, [ˈʔɪb(ɪ)n]

Noun

ابن • (ibin) m (plural ولاد (wlād) or صبيان (ṣibyān, ṣubyān))

1. son

Usage notes

• The plural ولاد (wlād) can mean “sons” specifically, but also “children” in general. The alternative plural is used to explicitly specify the masculine.

See also

• بنت (bint)
• شب (šabb)
• صبية (ṣabiyye)
• طفل (ṭifil, ṭufil)
• ولد (walad)

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔiβn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔibn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔebn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔibn]

Readings
Classical reading?	iḇn
Dari reading?	ibn
Iranian reading?	ebn
Tajik reading?	ibn

Noun

اِبن • (ebn)

1. ibn; a word meaning "son", used only in patronymic names and certain literary expressions borrowed from Arabic.

   ابن سینا ― ebn-e sinâ ― Avicenna

   ابن عربی ― ebn-e 'arabi ― Ibn Arabi

   ابن هیثم ― ebn-e heysam ― Ibn al-Haytham

Usage notes

• In names, it is used with the ezâfe.

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔibn/, [ʔi.b(ɪ)n]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Noun

ابن • (ʔibn) m (plural ولاد (wlād), feminine بنت (bint))

1. son

   Synonym: ولد (walad)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian اِبْن (ibn), from Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ɪbn/

Noun

اِبْن • (ibn) m (Hindi spelling इब्न)

1. son, child
2. offspring
3. slave

References

• “ابن”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “ابن”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.

Yemeni Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Noun

ابن (ibn, ubn) m (plural بني (banī))

1. son
2. side-branch of a tree

References

• Piamenta, Moshe (1991) Dictionary of Post-Classical Yemeni Arabic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 39b–40b