Learn Arabic › B2 › خالَة
خالَة
maternal aunt /ˈxaː.la/
nounB2#3968 most common
Also: auntie (term of address for an older woman)
Example sentences
هذه خالتي.
This is my aunt.
خالتي تسكن في القاهرة.
My aunt lives in Cairo.
زُرْتُ خالتي يوم الجمعة.
I visited my aunt on Friday.
بنتُ خالتي تدرس الطب في الجامعة.
My cousin, my aunt's daughter, studies medicine at university.
اجتمعت العائلة كلها في بيت خالتي بمناسبة العيد.
The whole family gathered at my aunt's house for the holiday.
لطالما كانت خالتي، بحكمتها ودفئها، الملاذ الذي ألجأ إليه كلما اشتدت متاعب الحياة.
My aunt, with her wisdom and warmth, has long been the refuge I turn to whenever life's troubles grow heavy.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | خالةٌ | خالاتٌ |
| Genitive | خالةٍ | خالاتٍ |
| Accusative | خالةً | خالاتٍ |
| Vocative | يا خالةُ | يا خالاتُ |
Word family
خالmaternal uncle
ابن الخالةmale cousin, son of one's maternal aunt
بنت الخالةfemale cousin, daughter of one's maternal aunt
أخوالmaternal uncles, extended maternal relatives
عمةpaternal aunt (different root, contrasting term)
Etymology
Khaala comes from the Semitic root kh-w-l, the same root behind khaal, the word for a maternal uncle. Adding the feminine ending taa marbuta turns the male term into the female one. Arabic keeps this root strictly for the mother's side of the family, which is why a separate root gives ammah, the paternal aunt.
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