Arabic word sheet
نَفْسٌ
Self, the very thing
- Type
- noun
- Root
- ن ف س
Meaning and usage
Self, the very thing
The person or thing itself, the whole of it. Joined to a noun or a pronoun it adds emphasis: "himself", "themselves", "the thing itself".
كَتَبَ سَامِي الرِّسَالَةَ بِنَفْسِهِ.
Sami wrote the letter himself.
The breath of life, life
What makes a being alive and leaves it at death; hence, its life.
خَافَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنَ الْبَرْدِ.
The man feared for his life because of the cold.
The mind, the inner self
That by which one thinks and tells things apart; what one keeps within without saying it.
فِي نَفْسِ سَلْمَى سُؤَالٌ عَنِ الدَّرْسِ.
Salma has a question in mind about the lesson.
A person, an individual
The whole human being, when people are counted or pointed out: "three people", "not a soul".
الْأُسْرَةُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَنْفُسٍ.
The family is three people.
Plural
أَنْفُسٌ / نُفُوسٌ
Word family
What the root means ن ف س
The root carries the idea of breath and of the life it sustains. From it come breath, breathing, a person's own self, and what is precious and keenly desired.
breath
نَفَسٌ
to breathe
تَنَفَّسَ
precious, valuable
نَفِيسٌ
preciousness
نَفَاسَةٌ
Synonyms
spirit, vital breath
رُوحٌ
It names only what gives life, whereas the headword also means the person himself and his mind.
essence; self
More abstract, it names what a thing is in itself and is not used for life or the mind.
person, individual
شَخْصٌ
It names the individual as seen from outside and says nothing of his inner life.