What Is the Nisba?
In Arabic, one of the most powerful and flexible tools we have is the nisba—a suffix we add to nouns to create adjectives.
In its simplest form, the nisba is made by adding:
-
ـي (ī) for masculine
-
ـية (iyye) for feminine
to the end of a noun.
The Nisba (النسبة) is the same pattern we use to form nationalities in Arabic. Review herehow to form nationalities from the name of a country!
Basic Structure
| Noun (اسم) | Meaning | Masculine adjective (nisba) | Feminine adjective (nisba) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| شَخِص (shakhs) | Person | شَخصي (shakhsi) | شَخصية (shakhsie) | personal / individual |
| تَقلِيد (ta2liid) | Tradition | تَقلِيدي (ta2liidi) | تَقلِيدية (ta2liidie) | traditional |
| اجتِمَاع (ijtima3) | Society | اجتِمَاعي (ijtima3i) | اجتِمَاعِيِّة (ijtima3ie) | sociable / social / friendly |
| سياسة (siasa) | Politics | سياسي (siasi) | سياسية (siasie) | political / politician |
| دَهَب (dahab) | Gold | دَهَبي (dahabi) | دَهَبية (dahabie) | golden |
| مُوسِيقَى (musii2a) | Music | مُوسِيقَي (musii2i) | مُوسِيقَىيِّة (musii2ie) | musical |
| أَصِل (asel) | Origin / Source | أَصلِي (asli) | أَصلِيِّة (aslie) | original / real / authentic / genuine |
| ثَقَافِة (tha2afa) | Culture | ثَقَافي (tha2afi) | ثَقَافية (tha2afie) | cultural |