Somali Dictionary BETTER
Arline Wallaert
While the dictionary below defaults to alphabetizing by English, you can sort by Somali (Af soomaali) or by category (jaad) by clicking on the heading at the top of the column. You can also search in either language or by category using the search box. To hear a pronunciation of a word in either language, click on the small player below the word.
This unique, two-part resource provides travelers to Somalia and neighboring regions with the tools they need for daily interaction. The bilingual dictionary has a concise vocabulary for everyday use, and the phrasebook allows instant communication on a variety of topics. Ideal for businesspeople, travelers, students, and aid workers, this guide includes:
SHEDDER REFUGEE CAMP, Ethiopia, November 1 (UNHCR) - Seventeen-year-old Hodan's eyes sparkle with joy as she clutches her new English-Somali dictionary - a congratulatory gift from UNHCR on passing a national high school exam.
Somali's main lexical borrowings come from Arabic, and are estimated to constitute about 20% of the language's vocabulary.[64] This is a legacy of the Somali people's extensive social, cultural, commercial and religious links and contacts with nearby populations in the Arabian peninsula. Arabic loanwords are most commonly used in religious, administrative and education-related speech (e.g. aamiin for "faith in God"), though they are also present in other areas (e.g. kubbad-da, "ball").[63] Soravia (1994) noted a total of 1,436 Arabic loanwords in Agostini a.o. 1985,[65] a prominent 40,000-entry Somali dictionary.[66] Most of the terms consisted of commonly used nouns. These lexical borrowings may have been more extensive in the past since a few words that Zaborski (1967:122) observed in the older literature were absent in Agostini's later work.[65] In addition, the majority of personal names are derived from Arabic.[67]