Word of the Day
Ṭarīq
رَأس
Hello and Welcome to another Arabic word in our Arabic Word of the Day series, where we learn about the meanings of keywords in Arabic and their usage in the Arabic language.
Today’s word is رَأس /Raʼs/ which essentially means “Head” in English or the upper part of the human body. In this blog, we will look at the main uses of this word, its root, word collocations, synonyms, and antonyms. You will also be given examples of each different use. At the end of the blog, you will be well-equipped to use the word in different situations and contexts.
Main Meaning
The word رَأس /Raʼs/ has many uses, all of which refer to “the beginning” or “the foundation” of something.
The human head
Raʼsu alʼinsāni
رَأسُ الإِنسانِ
The word here refers to the upper part of the body.
Jamal has a headache
Yashʻuru jamālun bʼlamin fī rʼsihi
يَشعُرُ جَمالٌ بألَمٍ في رأسهِ
I have a great idea in my head
Tadūru fī raʼsī fikrtun rāʼiʻh
تَدُورُ في رأسي فِكرةٌ رائِعة
Wʼakhadha birʼsi akhyhi
(وأَخَذَ بِرأسِ أَخيهِ) قول الله في سورة الأعراف: 150
This example is a verse from the Holy Quran and its English translation reads as follows: “and he seized his brother by (the hair of) his head” – AlA’raf:150. It refers to when Moses returned angry to his people and grabbed his brother Haron by his head.
Raʼs alṭaaryqi
رأسُ الطَّريقِ
The word رأس in this expression means the “head of the road” i.e. its starting point.
The length of the street from its head to its end is three kilometers.
Ṭūlu alshaaāriʻi min rʼsihi linhāyatihi thalāthatu kīlw mitr
طُولُ الشَّارِعِ مِن رأسِهِ لِنهايَتِهِ ثَلاثَةُ كِيلو مترات
Raʼsu aālssnh
رَأسُ السّنة
The New Year, Head of the year, or the first day of the year
People celebrate on New Year’s Eve
Yaḥtiflu alnaaāsu fī laylati raʼsi alsaanti
يَحتِفلُ النَّاسُ فِي لَيلَةِ رَأسِ السَّنةِ
Raʼsu almāli
رَأسُ المالِ
This expression refers to capital or the financial asset with which we start a business.
The capital of this business is one hundred thousand dollars
Raʼsu māli hadhā alʻamali miʼtu alfi dwlārin
رَأسُ مالِ هَذا العَمَلِ مِئةُ ألفِ دولارٍ
Rʼsu alʻayni
رأسُ العَينِ
This Arabic phrase refers to the head of the spring, or the source from which it springs.
He drank from the head of the spring.
Shariba min raʼsi alʻayni
شَرِبَ مِن رَأسِ العَينِ
Collocations
The word رأس /Raʼs/ collocates with other vocabulary to give structures that have specific meanings, such as:
Birthplace: the place of birth
Masqaṭu alrʼsi
مَسقَطُ الرأسِ
Example
The scientist Ahmed Zewail returned to his hometown
Rajaʻa alʻālimu aḥmad Zuwayl ilá masqṭi rʼsihi
رَجَعَ العالِمُ أَحمَد زويل إلى مَسقطِ رأسِهِ
Word Root
The root of the word رأس /Raʼs/ is رئاسة /Riʼasa/ and one of the words derived from this root is the word
رَئيس /Raʼys/ which means president. He is the leader; the president of the country is its leader.
Joe Biden was the President of the United States of America.
Kana Jū Bāydin raʼysu alwlāyāti almuttḥidti alʼamrykyyh
كان جو بايدن رَئيسُ الولاياتِ المُتّحِدةِ الأَمريكيّة
Synonyms
The word /Raʼs/ has several synonyms in the Arabic language, such as
Summit
Qimmah
قِمّة
Beginning
Bidāyh
بِداية
First
Awwl
أَوّل
So it is possible to use the two words to give the same meaning. Let’s check the following example:
Example 1
The adventurer went up to the head of the mountain
Ṣaʻada almughāmiru ilá raʼsi aljabali
صَعَدَ المُغامِرُ إِلى رَأسِ الجَبَلِ
The adventurer went up to the summit of the mountain
Ṣaʻada almughāmiru ilá qimaati aljabali
صَعَدَ المُغامِرُ إِلى قِمَّةِ الجَبَلِ
Example 2
The race started from the top of the track
Badʼa alssibāqu min raʼsi almiḍmār
بَدأَ السِّباقُ مِن رَأسِ المِضمار
The race started from the beginning of the track
Badʼa alssibāqu min bdāyti almiḍmār
بَدأَ السِّباقُ مِن بدايةِ المِضمار
Example 3
I started working from the head of the month
Badʼatu alʻamala min raʼsi alshaahri
بَدأَتُ العَمَلَ مِن رَأسِ الشَّهرِ
I started working from the beginning of the month.
Badʼatu alʻamala min awaali alshaahri
بَدأَتُ العَمَلَ مِن أَوَّلِ الشَّهرِ
Antonyms
Finally, any word that signifies the end and the bottom of something can be used to give the opposite meaning of the word رأس /Raʼs/ “head,” such as the words “end,” “bottom,” and “last.”
I descended the mountain from its head to its bottom
Nazlatu aljabala min rʼsihi ilá asfalihi
نَزلَتُ الجَبَلَ مِن رأسِهِ إلى أَسفَلِهِ
Walk along this street from its head to its end
Sir fī Hādhā alshaaāriʻi min rʼsihi ilá nihāyatihi
سِر فِي هذا الشَّارِعِ مِن رأسِهِ إلى نِهايَتِهِ
I worked in the company from the beginning of the year to its end
ʻAmiltu fī alshaarikati min rʼsi alsaanti ilá nihāyatihā
عَمِلتُ فِي الشَّرِكَةِ مِن رأسِ السَّنةِ إلى نِهايَتِها
Conclusion
Finally, we hope you liked our new Arabic Word of the Day. Make sure you use it as much as possible in everyday situations. We have made sure in this blog to provide you with different ways to use the word as well as the word’s root, collocations, synonyms, and antonyms. In order to reach mastery in using the new words, remember to use them in their different forms in your daily conversations. You can also read more words here.
To get more practice, we have prepared a special Planner that you can use to speed up your learning journey. This planner offers a rich 30-page worksheet accompanied by over 200 practical exercises and activities. It will be a powerful tool to back your acquired knowledge and newly learned language and push your learning journey forward with many practice opportunities.
Best of luck and see you in another blog and more Arabic words!
