sabi

See also: sabí, šabi, and саби

Central Bikol

Etymology

Compare Tagalog sabi and Kapampangan sabi.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: sa‧bi
• IPA^(key): /ˈsabi/ [ˈsa.bi]

Noun

sábi (Basahan spelling ᜐᜊᜒ)

1. something said; statement
2. mention

   Synonyms: kuno, sambit

Verb

sábi (Basahan spelling ᜐᜊᜒ)

1. to say

   Synonym: taram

Derived terms

• isabi
• kasabihan
• magsabi
• sabihan
• sabihon

See also

• huron
• istoriyahan
• ulay
• usap

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈsabi/ [ˈsa.bi]
• Rhymes: -abi
• Syllabification: sa‧bi
• Homophone: Sabi

Etymology 1

Backslang for bisa.

Verb

sabi

1. (back slang, text messaging) can, be able

Etymology 2

Persian شبیع

Noun

sabi (plural sabi-sabi)

1. shirt, particularly dress shirt

   Synonyms: kamisa, kemeja

Further reading

• “sabi”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsa.bi/
• Rhymes: -abi
• Hyphenation: sà‧bi

Noun

sabi m pl

1. plural of sabio

Japanese

Romanization

sabi

1. Rōmaji transcription of さび
2. Rōmaji transcription of サビ

Juba Arabic

Etymology

From Sudanese Arabic صاحبي (ṣāḥbi, “my friend”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsabi/, [ˈsa.bɪ]

Noun

sabi

1. friend

References

• Ian Smith; Morris Timothy Ama (1985), A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎^[1], 1st edition, Juba: The Committee of The Juba Cheshire Home and Centre for Handicapped Children, page 168
• Behnstedt, Peter; Woidich, Manfred (2010), Wortatlas der arabischen Dialekte – Band I: Mensch, Natur, Fauna und Flora (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 100) (in German), Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 66

Kapampangan

Etymology

Compare Tagalog sabi and Central Bikol sabi.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: sa‧bi

Adjective

sabi

1. said; told

Noun

sabi

1. something said; statement

Krio

Alternative forms

• sab (colloquial)

Etymology

From Portuguese saber. Compare English savvy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sà.bí/

Verb

sàbí

1. to know, understand, be skilled at

Noun

sàbí

1. skill, expertise, know-how

References

• Fyle, Clifford N.; Jones, Eldred D. (1980), A Krio-English dictionary, USA: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 321

Lindu

Noun

sabi

1. witness

Maltese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy)

Maltese sabi

Inherited from Arabic صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsa.bɪ/
• Rhymes: -abɪ

Noun

sabi m (plural subien)

1. (dated) boy; male child

   Synonym: tifel

   • 2008, Trevor Żahra, Il-Ġenn li Jżommni f’Sikti, Merlin Publishers, →ISBN:

     Is-sema bagħatlu sabi u s-sultan żamm kelmtu!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• The plural subien remains in common use; see there.

Maroon Spirit Language

Etymology

Likely from Portuguese saber.

Verb

sabi

1. to know
   • 1983, Kenneth M. Bilby, “How the "older heads" talk: a Jamaican Maroon spirit possession language and its relationship to the creoles of Suriname and Sierra Leone”, in New West Indian Guide, →ISSN, page 70:

     (...) wen u luku na u sjref, u sabi se da sonti a no gudu sonti.

     (...) when you looked at yourself, you knew that that thing was not a good thing.

2. to understand
   • 1983, Kenneth M. Bilby, “How the "older heads" talk: a Jamaican Maroon spirit possession language and its relationship to the creoles of Suriname and Sierra Leone”, in New West Indian Guide, →ISSN, page 71:

     so u sabi ampang onti mi sa se?

     So do you understand completely what I'm going to say?

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

From Portuguese saber.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sà.bi/

Verb

sabi

1. to know
   • 2024 September 5, Helen Oyibo, “'Except crase enta na di kain tin I don do before, I go do if I become govnor of Edo State' - Asue Ighodalo”, in BBC News Pidgin:

     "I advise am for im economic team for eight years, if all those tins e tok I no sabi do dem, how I advise am for eight years?

     I advised him for their economic team for eight years, if all those things I said were things I didn't know, how did I advise him for eight years?

   • 2025 August 22, “2027 elections and oda tins wey increase mass insecurity - Chief of Defence staff”, in BBC News Pidgin:

     Terrorism and insecurity na one of di challenges wey Nigeria dey face and di Chief of Defence staff don tok wetin im sabi about di pipo wey dey sponsor terrorism and wetin citizens fit do to protect diasef.

     Terrorism and insecurity is one of the challenges that Nigeria faces and the Chief of Defence staff has said what he knows about people who sponsor terrorism and what citizens can do to protect themselves.

Papiamentu

Alternative forms

• sa (synonym)

Etymology

From Portuguese saber and Spanish saber and Kabuverdianu sabe.

Verb

sabi

1. to know

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Portuguese saber.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsa.bi/

Verb

sabi

1. (transitive) to know
2. (auxiliary) to be able to (of learnt skills)

Descendants

• Aukan: sabi
• Saramaccan: sábi

Noun

sabi

1. knowledge, wisdom

Derived terms

• sabidensi (“science”)
• sabiman (“expert”)
• sabiso (“know-it-all”)

References

• Wilner, John, editor (2003-2007), “sabi”, in Languages of Suriname, 5th edition, SIL International, Sranan-English Dictionary

Tagalog

Etymology

From Southern Luzon axis *sábih (“say”). Compare Kapampangan sabi, Hanunoo sabi, Central Bikol sabi, and Masbatenyo sabi. Some speculate that it is from Spanish sabe, the third-person singular present indicative of saber (“to know”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈsabi/ [ˈsaː.bɪ], (colloquial) /ˈsabe/ [ˈsaː.bɛ]
• Rhymes: -abi
• Syllabification: sa‧bi

Noun

sabi (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜊᜒ)

1. something said; statement

   Synonyms: pahayag, pangungusap, deklarasyon, wika, (obsolete) bala

2. act of saying something (to someone)

   Synonyms: pagsasalita, pagpapahayag, (obsolete) bala

3. act of telling something (to someone)
4. (colloquial) words; expressions

   Synonym: salita

Derived terms

• ansabi
• ang pagsasabi ng tapat ay pagsasama ng maluwat
• ebas
• ibig sabihin
• ipagsabi
• ipanabi
• ipasabi
• kasabihan
• madaling sabihin, mahirap gawin
• magpasabi
• magsabi
• makapagsabi
• makisabi
• masabi
• masabihan
• pagsabihan
• pagsasabi
• pakisabi
• papagsabihin
• pasabi
• pasabihan
• paunang-sabi
• sa madaling sabi
• sabi nila
• sabi-sabi
• sabi-sabihan
• sabi-sabihin
• sabihan
• sabihin
• sabihin pa ba
• sinabi
• sukat ang katagang sabi sa mabuting umiintindi
• tagapagsabi
• tagasabi
• walang-sinasabi

See also

• banggit
• sambit
• usap

Further reading

• “sabi”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎^[2] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag.
  • page 168: “Colgar) Sabi (pp) los niños de vnos paños al hombro como vſan las tingianes.”
  • page 217: “Deçir) Sabi (pp) tratando algo”
  • page 253: “Dicho) Sabi (pp) de teſtigo delante de juez”
  • page 398: “Lleuar) Sabi (pp) T. los niños al vſo del tingue colgados ẽ vn paño”
  • page 418: “Mentar) Sabi (pp) lo que otro no quiere o ir”
  • page 537: “Runrun) Sabi (pp) q̃ core por las orejas”
  • page 586: “Tratar) Sabi (pp) alguna coſa entredes”

Anagrams

• basi, siba, bisa

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsa.bi]

Noun

sabi

1. a pair

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish صبی (sabiy), Borrowed from Arabic صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy, “boy, lad, youth”).

Noun

sabi

1. little child

Venetan

Noun

sabi

1. plural of sabo