كتاب

See also: کتاب, كباب, کباب, and كناب

Algerian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ktaːb/

Noun

كتاب (ktāb) m (plural كتب (ktūb))

1. book

Arabic

Root
ك ت ب (k-t-b)

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ki.taːb/
  • (Egypt) IPA^(key): [keˈtæːb]
  • (Hejaz) IPA^(key): [kɪˈt̪aːb]
  • (Lebanon) IPA^(key): [kiˈtæːb]
  • (Central Arabia) IPA^(key): [kɪˈt̪aːb]
  • (Iraq, Persian Gulf) IPA^(key): [kɪˈt̪ɑːb]
  • (Tunisia) IPA^(key): [kiˈt̪ɛːb]
  • (Morocco) IPA^(key): [kiˈtæːb]

• Audio (Morocco)

  (file)

• Dialectal variation from the aforementioned:
  • (Lebanese Arabic) IPA^(key): [kteːb]
  • (Tunisian Arabic) IPA^(key): [kt̪ɛːb]
  • (Moroccan Arabic) IPA^(key): [ktæːb]
  • (Iraqi Arabic) IPA^(key): [kt̪ɑːb]

Noun

كِتَاب • (kitāb) m (plural كُتُب (kutub))

1. (obsolete) verbal noun of كَتَبَ (kataba) (form I)
2. verbal noun of كَاتَبَ (kātaba) (form III)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 24:33:

     وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ ٱلْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ

     wallaḏīna yabtaḡūna l-kitāba mimmā malakat ʔaymānukum fakātibūhum

     And those who seek a contract (for eventual emancipation) from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them

3. letter, note, paper, piece of writing, message
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 27:29-31:

     قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ ۝ إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ۝ أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ ۝

     She said, O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter. Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it is: 'In the name of God, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, be not haughty with me but come to me in submission.'

5. book
6. the Scripture, the Qur'an or the Bible

   الْكِتَاب ― al-kitāb ― the Qur'an; the Bible

7. record, document, deed, contract
8. a marriage contract.

Declension

Declension of noun كِتَاب (kitāb)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كِتَاب kitāb	الْكِتَاب al-kitāb	كِتَاب kitāb
Nominative	كِتَابٌ kitābun	الْكِتَابُ al-kitābu	كِتَابُ kitābu
Accusative	كِتَابًا kitāban	الْكِتَابَ al-kitāba	كِتَابَ kitāba
Genitive	كِتَابٍ kitābin	الْكِتَابِ al-kitābi	كِتَابِ kitābi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كِتَابَيْن kitābayn	الْكِتَابَيْن al-kitābayn	كِتَابَيْ kitābay
Nominative	كِتَابَانِ kitābāni	الْكِتَابَانِ al-kitābāni	كِتَابَا kitābā
Accusative	كِتَابَيْنِ kitābayni	الْكِتَابَيْنِ al-kitābayni	كِتَابَيْ kitābay
Genitive	كِتَابَيْنِ kitābayni	الْكِتَابَيْنِ al-kitābayni	كِتَابَيْ kitābay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كُتُب kutub	الْكُتُب al-kutub	كُتُب kutub
Nominative	كُتُبٌ kutubun	الْكُتُبُ al-kutubu	كُتُبُ kutubu
Accusative	كُتُبًا kutuban	الْكُتُبَ al-kutuba	كُتُبَ kutuba
Genitive	كُتُبٍ kutubin	الْكُتُبِ al-kutubi	كُتُبِ kutubi

Derived terms

• كِتَابِيّ (kitābiyy)
• كُتُبِيّ (kutubiyy)
• كُتَيِّب (kutayyib)

Descendants

Descendants of كتاب in other languages

• Acehnese: kitab (“book”)
• Afar: kitáb
• Azerbaijani: kitab / китаб / کتاب
• Bashkir: китап (kitap)
• Belarusian: кітаб (kitab, “book written in Old Belarusian or Polish using Arabic script”)
• Chechen: китаб (kitab, “book”)
• Crimean Tatar: kitap (“book”)
• Hindi: किताब (kitāb, “book”)
• Kazakh: кітап (kıtap, “book”)
• Khalaj: kitâb
• Northern Kurdish: kitêb (“book”)
• Central Kurdish: کتاو (ktaw, “book”)
• Kyrgyz: китеп (kitep, “book”)
• Kumyk: китап (kitap)
• Malay:
  • Latin script: kitab
    • → Indonesian: kitab
    • → Maranao: kitab
  • Arabic script: کتاب
• Maltese: ktieb (“book”)
• Minangkabau: kitab (“book”)
• Pashto: کتاب (ketãb, “book”)
• Persian: کِتاب (ketâb, “book”)
  • → Assamese: কিতাপ (kitap)
    • → Atong (India): kitap
  • → Bengali: কিতাব (kitab)
  • → Gujarati: કિતાબ (kitāb)
  • → Old Hindi: कतेब (kateba)
  • → Northern Luri: کتۋ (ketü)
  • → Maithili:

    Devanagari script: किताप (kitāp), किताब (kitāb)

    Tirhuta script: 𑒏𑒱𑒞𑒰𑒣 (kitāpa), 𑒏𑒱𑒞𑒰𑒥 (kitāba)

  • → Naga Pidgin: kitab
  • → Nepali: किताब (kitāb, “book”), किताप (kitāp, “book”)
    • Dzongkha: ཀི་ཏབ (ki tab, “book, notebook”)
  • → Odia: କିତାବ (kitabô)
  • → Old Punjabi: ਕਤੇਬ (kateba)
    • Punjabi:

      Gurmukhi script: ਕਿਤਾਬ (kitāb)

      Shahmukhi script: کِتاب (kitāb)

  • → Sindhi:

    Arabic script: ڪِتابُ

    Devanagari script: किताबु

• Polish: kitab (“book written in Old Belarusian or Polish using Arabic script”)
• Rohingya: kitab (“book”)
• Salar: kitab (“book”)
• Swahili: kitabu (“book”)
• Tajik: китоб (kitob, “book”)
• Tooro: ekitabu (“book”)
• Tatar: китап (kitap, “book”)
• Turkish: kitap (“book”) / كتاب
• Turkmen: kitap (“book”)
• Urdu: کتاب (kitāb, “book”)
• Uyghur: كىتاب (kitab, “book”)
• Uzbek: kitob / китоб (kitob, “book”)
• Yakan: kitab (“book”)
• Zazaki: Kıtabi (“book”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kut.taːb/

Noun

كُتَّاب • (kuttāb) m pl

1. plural of كَاتِب (kātib, “writer”)

Noun

كُتَّاب • (kuttāb) m (plural كَتَاتِيب (katātīb))

1. a traditional school for teaching Qur'an

Declension

Declension of noun كُتَّاب (kuttāb)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كُتَّاب kuttāb	الْكُتَّاب al-kuttāb	كُتَّاب kuttāb
Nominative	كُتَّابٌ kuttābun	الْكُتَّابُ al-kuttābu	كُتَّابُ kuttābu
Accusative	كُتَّابًا kuttāban	الْكُتَّابَ al-kuttāba	كُتَّابَ kuttāba
Genitive	كُتَّابٍ kuttābin	الْكُتَّابِ al-kuttābi	كُتَّابِ kuttābi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كُتَّابَيْن kuttābayn	الْكُتَّابَيْن al-kuttābayn	كُتَّابَيْ kuttābay
Nominative	كُتَّابَانِ kuttābāni	الْكُتَّابَانِ al-kuttābāni	كُتَّابَا kuttābā
Accusative	كُتَّابَيْنِ kuttābayni	الْكُتَّابَيْنِ al-kuttābayni	كُتَّابَيْ kuttābay
Genitive	كُتَّابَيْنِ kuttābayni	الْكُتَّابَيْنِ al-kuttābayni	كُتَّابَيْ kuttābay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	كَتَاتِيب katātīb	الْكَتَاتِيب al-katātīb	كَتَاتِيب katātīb
Nominative	كَتَاتِيبُ katātību	الْكَتَاتِيبُ al-katātību	كَتَاتِيبُ katātību
Accusative	كَتَاتِيبَ katātība	الْكَتَاتِيبَ al-katātība	كَتَاتِيبَ katātība
Genitive	كَتَاتِيبَ katātība	الْكَتَاتِيبِ al-katātībi	كَتَاتِيبِ katātībi

References

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

Chagatai

Etymology

From Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb), likely via Classical Persian کتاب (kitāb).

Noun

كتاب (kitāb) (plural كتابلار)

1. book

Descendants

• Uyghur: كىتاب (kitab)
• Uzbek: kitob

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Noun

كتاب • (kitāb) m (plural كتب (kutub))

1. book

   عموما التفاصيل في الكتاب ― ʕumūman it-tafaṣīl fil-kitāb ― Generally, all the details are in the book.

Hijazi Arabic

Root
ك ت ب
1 term

كتاب

Etymology 1

From Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ki.ˈtaːb/, [kɪ.ˈtaːb]

Noun

كتاب • (kitāb) m (plural كتب (kutub))

1. book

Etymology 2

From Arabic كُتَّاب (kuttāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kutˈtaːb/, [kʊtˈtaːb]

Noun

كُتَّاب • (kuttāb) pl

1. plural of كاتب (kātib)

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Aleppo) /ki.taːb/, [kɨtæːb]
• IPA^(key): (Beirut) /kteːb/, [kteːb]

Noun

كتاب • (ktāb) m (plural كِتِب (kitib))

1. book

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

كتاب

Borrowed from Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb, “book”).

Alternative forms

• քիթապ (kitab) — Armeno-Turkish

Noun

كِتاب • (kitâb) (plural كُتُب (kütüb))

1. book, a collection of sheets of paper bound together

Derived terms

• كتابجی (kitabcı, “book-seller”)
• كتابسز (kitabsız, “bookless”)
• كتبخانه (kütübhane, “library”)

 

Descendants

• Turkish: kitap

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “kitap”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 2692
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “كتاب”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[1], Constantinople: Mihran, page 1011
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Liber”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[2], Vienna, column 941
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “كتاب”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[3], Vienna, column 3867
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “kitap”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “كتاب”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[4], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1525

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic كُتَّاب (kuttāb).

Noun

كُتّاب • (küttâb)

1. plural of كاتِب (kâtib)

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ك ت ب
6 terms

Etymology

From Arabic كِتَاب (kitāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ktaːb/, [ktæːb]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

Noun

كتاب • (ktāb) m (plural كتب (kútob))

1. book