Family in Arabic

Translation of family in Arabic

There are a lot of people asking me how to say “family” in Arabic, both for tattoo design and for general information. Arabic is a very rich language with a rich vocabulary. So it should come as no surprise that there is more than one way to say “family” in Arabic.

Perhaps the most common word for family is عائلة (‘aa’ila). This can refer to both the close family and extended family. The word أسرة (usra) on the other hand is arguably used more frequently to just refer to the immediate family. Another word that is sometimes used to refer to (extended) family is أهل (ahl), which can also refer to a people, kindred, or relatives. The term آل (aal) is similar and it too means (extended) family, kindred or relations.

Apart from the sometimes subtle differences in meaning between عائلة (‘aa’ila) and أسرة (usra), the terms are used interchangeably. Nevertheless, there are differences in usage as regards regions. I would venture as far as saying that عائلة (‘aa’ila) is used more frequently than أسرة (usra) in the dialects of the Levantine region (Syria, Leabanon, Jordan, Palestine/Israel). However, both terms are understood everywhere in all dialects and are also used in written Arabic / Modern Standard Arabic.

My personal preference is to use عائلة (‘aa’ila) in most cases. So here is “family” in Arabic in picture format for all those of you who have trouble displaying Arabic letters on your PC:

"family" in Arabic

In my Arabic Tattoos ebook there are six different high-quality designs for “my family” and four tattoo designs for “I love my family”. You can still get the book for my incredibly low introductory rate, so please feel free to check it out.

If you’re a native speaker, which word do you use to say “family” in Arabic?

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