As 2023 comes to a close, it is natural to reflect on things that have changed in our lives and around the world. Often, hindsight provides plenty of realisations.
This year has been marked with more than a few social, cultural, political and economic changes. Many of these were witnessed live as they were unfolding in real time online, with the public interacting, commenting and in dialogue with each other.
This week we present an Arabic Word of the Year, idraak, which translates to realisation.
From a local to a global level, particularly through online movements, the public has consciously found itself questioning, realising and becoming aware that they can’t always depend on how their environment and the world in general is being presented to them.
Idraak in all its facets is the perfect word to describe this state of being. The word, which is often pronounced adraka, is a verb made of the four Arabic letters, alif, dal, rah and kaf.
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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
As a verb, adraka is the action of grasping, understanding, or comprehending a reality either after a period of reflection or in a single moment. It is the act of realising.
To be specific, it can mean when any one thing becomes mature or realised, either physically, mentally, spiritually, or even financially.
For example, it can refer to when fruit ripens, when a child matures, or when someone gains complete knowledge or understanding in their area of study and research.
Within this space adraka has significant connections to comprehension, to be in sync with one's surroundings, and gaining insight on a mental, spiritual and cultural level.
But mostly, in all its variations, adraka is strongly linked to the idea of knowledge and the result of seeking knowledge. In this context, adraka is when someone reaches a point of being wholly aware or fully realised.
Moudrik is the word used for someone who has gained awareness or realisation and moudrak is the thing or subject to be understood.
There are other words derived from adraka, connected to the idea of realisation and awareness. Daraka, and its plural adraak, means to arrive at a destination after following in the path of something or the footsteps of someone.
Darak is the noun form of daraka which refers to a group of people, often in a military or state capacity whose purpose is to search and find people based on a briefing or mission. Here the word darak is derived from adraka, which describes a group of people have the knowledge or awareness of how to find people who are in hiding.
Tadaaraka is another word derived from adraka with a meaning that changes depending on the context in which it is used. It can mean to avoid danger and distraction as one works towards a goal, it can also mean to be cautious and take precautions or it can mean to compensate for something.
The title of the 1936 comedy drama film Ghafir el Darak, which loosely translates as The Night Watchmen, includes the idea of adraka in the search for awareness and realisation.
The film follows the story of Othman, played by the famous actor Ali Al-Kassar, who on the insistence of his demanding wife, gets a job as a security guard at a shop.
However, when the shop is robbed, Othman and the shop’s owner realise that the thief bears an uncanny resemblance to Othman himself. The two devise a plan to capture the thief with Othman impersonating the thief as bait.
