Arabic word sheet
جَاهِلٌ
Ignorant, not knowing
- Type
- adjective
- Root
- ج ه ل
Meaning and usage
Ignorant, not knowing
Said of someone who lacks knowledge, or who does not know one thing or one person in particular. The word also names the person: an ignorant man.
كَانَ السَّائِحُ جَاهِلًا بِطُرُقِ الْمَدِينَةِ.
The tourist did not know the streets of the town.
Foolish, rash
Also said of someone who acts without thinking, hotly or coarsely: it is then the reverse of a sensible person.
تَصَرَّفَ الشَّابُّ الْجَاهِلُ بِغَضَبٍ فِي السُّوقِ.
The foolish young man behaved angrily in the market.
Plural
جُهَّالٌ / جُهَلَاءُ
Word family
What the root means ج ه ل
The root means not knowing: it is the reverse of knowledge. From it come the words for ignorance, for acting without knowing, for pretending not to know, and for what is unknown.
not to know
جَهِلَ
ignorance
جَهْلٌ
ignorance, thoughtless act
جَهَالَةٌ
to pretend not to know
تَجَاهَلَ
very ignorant
جَهُولٌ
unknown
مَجْهُولٌ
Synonyms
foolish, light-headed
سَفِيهٌ
It matches the sense “foolish” only: someone who lacks judgement and restraint, without the idea of lacking knowledge.
Opposites
learned, knowing
عَالِمٌ
sensible, reasonable
عَاقِلٌ