ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ
Mandaic
Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Northwest, Aramaic, Eastern, Mandaic) · historical / hidden variety
Mandaic is the Eastern Aramaic language of the Mandaeans, an indigenous gnostic religious community of southern Iraq and southwestern Iran whose religion (Mandaeism) reveres John the Baptist and traces its roots to the early-1st-millennium Mesopotamian milieu. Classical Mandaic remains the liturgical language of Mandaean ritual; Neo-Mandaic (a separate but related modern variety) has only ~50 fluent speakers, making it one of the most endangered Aramaic varieties. The Mandaic script is a unique cursive abjad-abugida hybrid, distinct from Hebrew and Syriac scripts.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Mandaic
Water
ࡌࡉࡀ
/mia/
Fire
ࡍࡅࡓࡀ
/nura/
Sun
ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ
/ʃamʃa/
Moon
ࡎࡉࡓࡀ
/sira/
Mother
ࡀࡌࡀ
/ama/
Father
ࡀࡁࡀ
/aba/
Eat
ࡀࡊࡀࡋ
/akal/
Drink
ࡔࡕࡀ
/ʃta/
Love
ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ
/ɾuhma/
Heart
ࡋࡉࡁࡀ
/liba/
Tree
ࡀࡊࡀࡍࡀ
/akana/
House
ࡁࡉࡕࡀ
/bita/
Dog
ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ
/kalba/
Cat
ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ
/ʃunara/
Hand
ࡏࡃࡀ
/ʔida/
Eye
ࡏࡉࡍࡀ
/ʔina/
Hello
ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ
/ʃlama/
Thank you
ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ
/ʈabuta/
One
ࡄࡀࡃ
/had/
Good
ࡈࡀࡁࡀ
/tˤaba/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Northwest, Aramaic, Eastern, Mandaic) languages
| Meaning | Mandaic | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Turoyo | Aramaic | Classical Syriac | Phoenician | Western Neo-Aramaic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | ܡܝܐ /mijja/ | ܡܝܐ /majo/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | 𐤌𐤌 /majim/ | ܡܘܝܐ /mojːa/ |
| Fire | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuro/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | 𐤀𐤔 /ʔeʃ/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ |
| Sun | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃimʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃamʃo/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | 𐤔𐤌𐤔 /ʃameʃ/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ |
| Moon | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahra/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahro/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | 𐤉𐤓𐤇 /jaræħ/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ |
| Mother | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | ܝܡܐ /jimma/ | ܐܡܐ /imo/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | 𐤀𐤌 /ʔem/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ |
| Father | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | ܒܒܐ /baba/ | ܒܒܐ /babo/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | 𐤀𐤁 /ʔab/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ |
| Eat | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | ܐܟܠ /axil/ | ܐܟܠ /oxulo/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔeχal/ | 𐤀𐤊𐤋 /ʔakal/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ |
| Drink | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaja/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃote/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ | ܐܫܬܝ /ʔeʃtiː/ | 𐤔𐤕 /ʃat/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ |
| Love | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | ܚܘܒܐ /xubba/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubo/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | 𐤀𐤇𐤁 /ʔaheb/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ |
| Heart | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | ܠܒܐ /libba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebo/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | 𐤋𐤁 /lib/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ |
| Tree | ࡀࡊࡀࡍࡀ /akana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilono/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | 𐤏𐤑 /ʕesˤ/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ |
| House | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | ܒܝܬܐ /beθa/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajto/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθaː/ | 𐤁𐤕 /bajit/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ |
| Dog | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbo/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | 𐤊𐤋𐤁 /kalb/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ |
| Cat | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | ܩܛܘ /qaːtu/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunoro/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | 𐤔𐤍𐤓 /ʃunaːr/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ |
| Hand | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iːða/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iðo/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | 𐤉𐤃 /jad/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ |
| Eye | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajno/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | 𐤏𐤍 /ʕajin/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ |
| Hello | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːma/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomo/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | 𐤔𐤋𐤌 /ʃalom/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ |
| Thank you | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | ܒܣܝܡܐ /basima/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdi/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܫܘܒܚܐ /ʃubħaː/ | — /—/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ |
| One | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ܚܕ /xa/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | 𐤀𐤇𐤃 /ʔeħad/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ |
| Good | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤobo/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | 𐤈𐤁 /tˤob/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ |
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