Many Arabic words can have several meanings or, depending on the context and changes to pronunciation, variations derived from the root of the word.
Such is the case for this week’s Arabic word, hanan. While it can simply mean affection or compassion, hanan also denotes a deeper idea of sympathy, or a feeling of concern or pity for the misfortunes of others. It also encompasses empathy, meaning not only feeling what another person is feeling but the type of compassion that propels one to relieve the suffering of another person.
It can also mean kindness, to be warm hearted, and is a derivative of love. In its adjective form, hanoon for males and hanoona for females, it can also mean someone who is loving, warm and kind.
Hanan is also used as a name, more commonly for girls. Another version of the name is Haneen, whose meaning leans more towards a warm and gentle nature.
One of the verb variations of hanan is yahinn, which means to long or yearn for someone or something.
Celebrated and award-winning Palestinian author and poet Mahmoud Darwish uses this variation of hanan in one of his most famous poems, My Mother, from 1965. Known as the national poet of Palestine, Darwish’s subject matter in his literature and poetry always centred around themes of Palestinian identity.
In his poem My Mother, Darwish uses ahinn, the idea of compassionately longing, to express feelings towards his mother, who acts as a metaphor for his homeland. The poem begins with Darwish’s declaration that he longs for his mother’s bread, her coffee and her touch.
Celebrated Palestinian-Lebanese musical composer, singer and oud player Marcel Khalife turned Darwish’s poem into a song as part of his Arab-Andalusian influenced album, Promises of a Storm, in 1976.
Scroll through the gallery below to see The National's pick of Arabic words of the week
Hob is the Arabic word for love, but can be used in many contexts
The Arabic word helu translates, in English, to sweet
Nashef is the Arabic word for dry, but has many connotations, depending on the context in which you use it
The Arabic word hurriyeh translates to freedom in English
The Arabic word tayeb can mean delicious or good, depending on the context
The Arabic word mustaqbal is best expressed as future in English
Waqaa, the Arabic word for fall, can signify a loss of power, stature, health or grace
Hudood means borders in English
The Arabic word rooh translates to spirit or soul in English
The Arabic word ain means eye in English
Waraq, the Arabic word of the week means paper in English
Bahr, the Arabic for sea, has a poetic lilt
Kareem means generous in English
Bab means door in English
Eid means holiday or festival
Najm means star for the night sky and cosmos, but also has plenty of other meanings, including ambition or fame
Alwan, the Arabic word for colours, has many shades of meaning
Akel can refer to home-cooked meals, embezzlement, fire and rust
Jamal is the Arabic word for beauty, be it literal or figurative
Herfe translates to profession or craft
Tabiaa translates to nature and can frame landscapes and portraits
Sehha is the Arabic word for health
Ijaza is Arabic for holiday and shines in summer but is not stress-free
Aamal is the Arabic word for work
Al dahr translates to time
Qalb is a word for heart, with poetic roots
Lugha in Arabic translates to language in English
Insaan means human being
Na'eeman is an idiomatic expression used when someone has had a shower or bath, a haircut or had their beard trimmed
The Arabic word for life touches on eternity, death and accomplishment
Qamar is the Arabic for moon
The Arabic word for strength or power is quwwa
Burj is Arabic for tower
The Arabic word for sun is shams
Sabr in English can translate to patience
Hayba is the Arabic word for prestige
The Arabic term al shay'e translates as 'the thing' in English
The Arabic word for road is tareeq
The Arabic word for read has mystical and scholarly connotations
Istikan is the Arabic word for a type of tea cup
The Arabic word hanan means affection in English
The Arabic word atlal means ruins in English
Kura is the Arabic word for ball, in all its forms
Janaah in Arabic means wing in English
The Arabic word sana translates to year in English
Qasida is the Arabic for poem, not poetry
Ameer, the Arabic word for prince, which influenced another English title
Nakhla translates to palm tree in English
Al samt is the Arabic for silence
Kalimaat translates to words in English
Markaz is Arabic for centre
Beshara is the Arabic word for good news
Bayt is the Arabic for house or home
Fann is the Arabic word for art, and can be either a verb or an adjective
Isim, which means name, is made up of three letters, alif, seen and meem
Dunya is the Arabic word for world
Nazaafah translates to cleanliness in English
Many traditions revolve around drinking coffee, including weddings, funerals and business meetings
Fajr is the Arabic word for dawn
Maghrib is the Arabic word for sunset
The Arabic language is filled with idioms, quotes and colloquial quips involving the mirror
Raei is the Arabic word for opinion
Wa'ed is a multifaceted word for 'promise', as well as a female name
Qussa is the Arabic word for story
Sadaaka is the Arabic word for friendship
Akhbaar is the Arabic word for news
Rasem is made up of the three Arabic letters Rah, Seen and Meem. While it can simply mean a drawing or a sketch it’s also a malleable word whose definition can change depending on context and dialect – particularly between colloquial and classical Arabic.
As well as finishing a task, khatem denotes a deeper sense of finality
Commonly translated to blessed, mubarak is used as a popular greeting on auspicious days
The Arabic word for lighthouse is also a term that has become closely associated with Islam
Siyaam, the Arabic word for fasting is also connected to silence
Tawbah, the Arabic word for repentance, is also connected to Ramadan
Safar, the Arabic Word for travel can also refer to sunny days, a brighter-blazing fire or exile. The National