أخ

See also: اخ‎, آخ‎, آچ‎, and آج‎

Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʾaḫ-, from the root ء خ و‎ (ʾ-ḵ-w).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaχ/

• Audio

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Noun

أَخ • (ʾaḵ) m (construct state أَخُو‎ (ʾaḵū), dual أَخَوَان‎ (ʾaḵawān), plural إِخْوَة‎ (ʾiḵwa) or إِخْوَان‎ (ʾiḵwān), feminine أُخْت‎ (ʾuḵt))

1. brother

Usage notes

• أخ is used literally as well as figuratively. The plural إخْوَة‎ (ʾiḵwa) is more common in the literal sense (“brothers”), while إخْوان‎ (ʾiḵwān) is more common in the figurative sense (“brethren”). Moreover, أخ includes both full brothers and half brothers. The synonym شَقِيق‎ (šaqīq) refers to full brothers exclusively.

Declension

Declension of noun أَخ (ʾaḵ)

Singular	singular long construct
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَخ ʾaḵ	الْأَخ‎ al-ʾaḵ	أَخُو‎ ʾaḵū
Nominative	أَخٌ ʾaḵun	الْأَخُ‎ al-ʾaḵu	أَخُو‎ ʾaḵū
Accusative	أَخًا‎ ʾaḵan	الْأَخَ‎ al-ʾaḵa	أَخَا‎ ʾaḵā
Genitive	أَخٍ ʾaḵin	الْأَخِ‎ al-ʾaḵi	أَخِي‎ ʾaḵī
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَخَوَيْن‎ ʾaḵawayn	الْأَخَوَيْن‎ al-ʾaḵawayn	أَخَوَيْ‎ ʾaḵaway
Nominative	أَخَوَانِ‎ ʾaḵawāni	الْأَخَوَانِ‎ al-ʾaḵawāni	أَخَوَا‎ ʾaḵawā
Accusative	أَخَوَيْنِ‎ ʾaḵawayni	الْأَخَوَيْنِ‎ al-ʾaḵawayni	أَخَوَيْ‎ ʾaḵaway
Genitive	أَخَوَيْنِ‎ ʾaḵawayni	الْأَخَوَيْنِ‎ al-ʾaḵawayni	أَخَوَيْ‎ ʾaḵaway
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِخْوَة‎‎; إِخْوَان‎ ʾiḵwa‎; ʾiḵwān	الْإِخْوَة‎‎; الْإِخْوَان‎ al-ʾiḵwa‎; al-ʾiḵwān	إِخْوَة‎‎; إِخْوَان‎ ʾiḵwat‎; ʾiḵwān
Nominative	إِخْوَةٌ‎‎; إِخْوَانٌ‎ ʾiḵwatun‎; ʾiḵwānun	الْإِخْوَةُ‎‎; الْإِخْوَانُ‎ al-ʾiḵwatu‎; al-ʾiḵwānu	إِخْوَةُ‎‎; إِخْوَانُ‎ ʾiḵwatu‎; ʾiḵwānu
Accusative	إِخْوَةً‎‎; إِخْوَانًا‎ ʾiḵwatan‎; ʾiḵwānan	الْإِخْوَةَ‎‎; الْإِخْوَانَ‎ al-ʾiḵwata‎; al-ʾiḵwāna	إِخْوَةَ‎‎; إِخْوَانَ‎ ʾiḵwata‎; ʾiḵwāna
Genitive	إِخْوَةٍ‎‎; إِخْوَانٍ‎ ʾiḵwatin‎; ʾiḵwānin	الْإِخْوَةِ‎‎; الْإِخْوَانِ‎ al-ʾiḵwati‎; al-ʾiḵwāni	إِخْوَةِ‎‎; إِخْوَانِ‎ ʾiḵwati‎; ʾiḵwāni

Synonyms

• شَقِيق‎ (šaqīq)

Related terms

• إِخَاء‎ (ʾiḵāʾ)
• إِخَاوَة‎ (ʾiḵāwa)
• أُخْت‎ (ʾuḵt)
• أَخَوِيّ‎ (ʾaḵawiyy, “brotherly”)
• أَخَوِيَّة‎ (ʾaḵawiyya, “brotherhood”)
• تَآخٍ‎ (taʾāḵin)
• خُوَّة‎ (ḵuwwa)

See also

• (nouns with long construct singular) الْأَسْمَاء الْخَمْسَة‎ (al-ʾasmāʾ al-ḵamsa); أَب‎ (ʾab), أَخ (ʾaḵ), حَم‎ (ḥam), فَم‎ (fam), ذُو‎ (ḏū)

References

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