‘Thaqafa': Arabic word for culture links to the roots of knowledge

American novelist Thomas Wolfe believed culture to be the “arts elevated to a set of beliefs”, while poet and writer Allen Ginsberg is quoted as saying that “whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture”.

This week’s Arabic word of the week, thaqafa, which translates to culture, is an all-encompassing concept. In English and Arabic, the term culture encompasses a broad yet thorough set of different ideas and practices that have varying relevance and definitions to different people.

While thaqafa translates to the English word culture, it also refers to concepts of refinement, cultivation, education and civilisation. More commonly, however, it refers to the collective knowledge, values and experiences shared societally, and to the idea of education specifically. It can also mean to have knowledge or an understanding in all things from the sciences to the arts.

Thaqafa is a noun made up of three Arabic letters, tha, qaf and faa. It is derived from the verb theqafa, which is defined as the action of defeating someone through knowledge in a particular subject.

The connection between the origin of the word and thaqafa denotes the idea that the more knowledge a person possesses the more cultured they are, which in turn is a reflection of how smart they are. To be truly cultured in the Arabic context means that one is aware or knowledgeable in all or most topics.

The Arabic word helu translates, in English, to sweet

Nashef is the Arabic word for dry, but has many connotations, depending on the context in which you use it

The Arabic word hurriyeh translates to freedom in English

Hob is the Arabic word for love, but can be used in many contexts

The Arabic word tayeb can mean delicious or good, depending on the context

The Arabic word mustaqbal is best expressed as future in English

Waqaa, the Arabic word for fall, can signify a loss of power, stature, health or grace

Hudood means borders in English

The Arabic word rooh translates to spirit or soul in English

The Arabic word ain means eye in English

Waraq, the Arabic word of the week means paper in English

Bahr, the Arabic for sea, has a poetic lilt

Kareem means generous in English

Bab means door in English

Eid means holiday or festival

Najm means star for the night sky and cosmos, but also has plenty of other meanings, including ambition or fame

Alwan, the Arabic word for colours, has many shades of meaning

Akel can refer to home-cooked meals, embezzlement, fire and rust

Jamal is the Arabic word for beauty, be it literal or figurative

Herfe translates to profession or craft

Tabiaa translates to nature and can frame landscapes and portraits

Sehha is the Arabic word for health

Ijaza is Arabic for holiday and shines in summer but is not stress-free

Aamal is the Arabic word for work

Al dahr translates to time

Qalb is a word for heart, with poetic roots

Lugha in Arabic translates to language in English

Insaan means human being

Na’eeman is an idiomatic expression used when someone has had a shower or bath, a haircut or had their beard trimmed

The Arabic word for life touches on eternity, death and accomplishment

Qamar is the Arabic for moon

The Arabic word for strength or power is quwwa

Burj is Arabic for tower

The Arabic word for sun is shams

Sabr in English can translate to patience

Hayba is the Arabic word for prestige

The Arabic term al shay’e translates as ‘the thing’ in English

The Arabic word for road is tareeq

The Arabic word for read has mystical and scholarly connotations

Istikan is the Arabic word for a type of tea cup

The Arabic word hanan means affection in English

The Arabic word atlal means ruins in English

Kura is the Arabic word for ball, in all its forms

Janaah in Arabic means wing in English

The Arabic word sana translates to year in English

Qasida is the Arabic for poem, not poetry

Ameer, the Arabic word for prince, which influenced another English title

Nakhla translates to palm tree in English

Al samt is the Arabic for silence

Kalimaat translates to words in English

Markaz is Arabic for centre

Beshara is the Arabic word for good news

Bayt is the Arabic for house or home

Fann is the Arabic word for art, and can be either a verb or an adjective

Isim, which means name, is made up of three letters, alif, seen and meem

Dunya is the Arabic word for world

Nazaafah translates to cleanliness in English

Many traditions revolve around drinking coffee, including weddings, funerals and business meetings

Fajr is the Arabic word for dawn

Maghrib is the Arabic word for sunset

The Arabic language is filled with idioms, quotes and colloquial quips involving the mirror

Raei is the Arabic word for opinion

Wa’ed is a multifaceted word for ‘promise’, as well as a female name

Qussa is the Arabic word for story

Sadaaka is the Arabic word for friendship

Akhbaar is the Arabic word for news

There are various categories of thaqafa specific to certain areas of study. Thaqafa aamma refers to possessing general knowledge, while thaqafa mehaniyya is educational culture, particularly delving into the study of a particular topic in a specialised field.

Thaqafa wataniyya is knowledge associated with a particular country or nation, and thaqafa shaabeyya is the knowledge of an indigenous culture. Thaqafa assasiyya refers to an understanding of the essence or the foundations of a particular topic.

There are a number of words derived from the same root of thaqafa that are related to the idea of culture and knowledge.

Thaqqafa means to teach or bestow knowledge on someone else or to enrich or improve the state of something, while tathaqqafa refers to someone acquiring knowledge on their own to gain a better understanding of the world.

The noun mouthaqqaf refers to someone who is educated or very knowledgeable. Tathqeef is the process of learning or becoming more knowledgeable while mouthaqqif is a teacher of knowledge such as a lecturer and tathaqqafa is the exchange of knowledge between two parties on the same or various topics.