ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ
Classical Syriac
Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Aramaic, Eastern) · historical / hidden variety
Classical Syriac is a literary form of Aramaic that flourished from the 2nd to the 13th century as the lingua franca of Eastern Christianity, centred on Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa, Turkey). Produced one of antiquity's largest theological, philosophical, scientific, and historical corpora, including the Peshitta Bible (5th c.) and Aristotelian translations that shaped Islamic and European scholasticism. Written in three main scripts: Estrangela (oldest), Serto (West Syriac), and Madnhaya (East Syriac). Survives liturgically in Syriac, Maronite, and Assyrian churches.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Classical Syriac
Water
ܡܝܐ
/majjaː/
Fire
ܢܘܪܐ
/nuːraː/
Sun
ܫܡܫܐ
/ʃemʃaː/
Moon
ܣܗܪܐ
/sahraː/
Star
ܟܘܟܒܐ
/kawkβaː/
Mother
ܐܡܐ
/ʔemmaː/
Father
ܐܒܐ
/ʔabbaː/
I
ܐܢܐ
/ʔenaː/
You
ܐܢܬ
/ʔat/
Name
ܫܡܐ
/ʃmaː/
Eye
ܥܝܢܐ
/ʕajnaː/
Hand
ܐܝܕܐ
/ʔiːðaː/
Heart
ܠܒܐ
/lebbaː/
Love
ܚܘܒܐ
/ħubbaː/
Tree
ܐܝܠܢܐ
/ʔiːlaːnaː/
House
ܒܝܬܐ
/bajθaː/
Dog
ܟܠܒܐ
/kalbaː/
Cat
ܫܘܢܪܐ
/ʃunnaːraː/
Eat
ܐܟܠ
/ʔeχal/
Drink
ܐܫܬܝ
/ʔeʃtiː/
One
ܚܕ
/ħað/
Two
ܬܪܝܢ
/treːn/
Hello
ܫܠܡܐ
/ʃlaːmaː/
Thank you
ܫܘܒܚܐ
/ʃubħaː/
Good
ܛܒܐ
/tˤaːβaː/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Aramaic, Eastern) languages
| Meaning | Classical Syriac | Aramaic | Western Neo-Aramaic | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Old Aramaic | Mandaic | Turoyo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܘܝܐ /moːja/ | ܡܝܐ /mijja/ | מין /majin/ | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | ܡܝܐ /majo/ |
| Fire | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nura/ | נור /nuːr/ | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuro/ |
| Sun | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃimʃa/ | שמש /ʃamʃ/ | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃamʃo/ |
| Moon | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahra/ | שהר /sahr/ | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahro/ |
| Star | ܟܘܟܒܐ /kawkβaː/ | ܟܘܟܒܐ /koːχβaː/ | ܟܘܟܒܐ /kawkba/ | ܟܵܘܟ݂ܒ݂ܵܐ /ˈkoxwa/ | כוכב /kawkab/ | ࡊࡅࡊࡁࡀ /ˈkukba/ | ܟܟܒܐ /kəxwo/ |
| Mother | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ | ܝܡܐ /jimma/ | אמ /ʔem/ | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | ܐܡܐ /imo/ |
| Father | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ | ܒܒܐ /baba/ | אב /ʔab/ | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | ܒܒܐ /babo/ |
| I | ܐܢܐ /ʔenaː/ | ܐܢܐ /ʔanaː/ | ܐܢܐ /ana/ | ܐܵܢܵܐ /ˈʔɑːnɑ/ | אנה /ʔanaː/ | ࡀࡍࡀ /ˈana/ | ܐܢܐ /ono/ |
| You | ܐܢܬ /ʔat/ | ܐܢܬ /ʔatt/ | ܚܐܟ /ħatʃ/ | ܐܲܢ݉ܬ /ʔat/ | אנת /ʔantaː/ | ࡀࡍࡀࡕ /at/ | ܗܬ /hat/ |
| Name | ܫܡܐ /ʃmaː/ | ܫܡܐ /ʃmaː/ | ܐܫܡܐ /eʃma/ | ܫܸܡܵܐ /ˈʃɪmma/ | שם /ʃum/ | ࡔࡅࡌࡀ /ˈʃuma/ | ܐܫܡܐ /eʃmo/ |
| Eye | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | עין /ʕajn/ | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajno/ |
| Hand | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iːða/ | יד /jad/ | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iðo/ |
| Heart | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ | ܠܒܐ /libba/ | לב /leb/ | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebo/ |
| Love | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /xubba/ | רחם /raħem/ | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubo/ |
| Tree | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilana/ | עץ /ʕeːsˤ/ | ࡏࡋࡀࡍࡀ /ilana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilono/ |
| House | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ | ܒܝܬܐ /beθa/ | בית /beːt/ | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajto/ |
| Dog | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalba/ | כלב /kalb/ | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbo/ |
| Cat | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ | ܩܛܘ /qaːtu/ | — /—/ | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunoro/ |
| Eat | ܐܟܠ /ʔeχal/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ | ܐܟܠ /axil/ | אכל /ʔakal/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | ܐܟܠ /oxulo/ |
| Drink | ܐܫܬܝ /ʔeʃtiː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃate/ | שתה /ʃataː/ | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃote/ |
| One | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ | ܚܕ /xa/ | חד /ħad/ | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ |
| Two | ܬܪܝܢ /treːn/ | ܬܪܝܢ /treːn/ | ܬܪܝܢ /tren/ | ܬܪܹܝܢ /treːn/ | תרין /treːn/ | ࡕࡓࡉࡍ /tren/ | ܬܪܐ /tre/ |
| Hello | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːma/ | שלם /ʃəlaːm/ | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomo/ |
| Thank you | ܫܘܒܚܐ /ʃubħaː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܒܣܝܡܐ /basima/ | — /—/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdi/ |
| Good | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaba/ | טב /tˤab/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤobo/ |
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