Learn Arabic › B1 › شَمالِيّ
شَمالِيّ
northern /ʃaˈmaː.lijj/
adjectiveB1#1742 most common
Also: north, septentrional
Example sentences
القُطْب الشَّمالِيّ بارِد جِدّاً.
The North Pole is very cold.
أَسْكُن في الجُزْء الشَّمالِيّ مِن المَدينة.
I live in the northern part of the city.
هَبَّت الرِّياح الشَّمالِيّة طَوال اللَّيْل.
The northern winds blew all night.
يَقَع السّاحِل الشَّمالِيّ لِمِصْر على البَحْر المُتَوَسِّط.
Egypt's northern coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea.
تَتَمَيَّز المَناطِق الشَّمالِيّة بِمُناخِها البارِد وأَمْطارِها الغَزيرة.
The northern regions are marked by their cold climate and heavy rainfall.
أَدّى التَّفاوُت الاقْتِصادِيّ بَيْن النِّصْف الشَّمالِيّ والجَنوبِيّ إلى مَوْجاتٍ مُتَتالِية مِن الهِجْرة.
The economic disparity between the northern and southern halves drove successive waves of migration.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | شَمالِيٌّ | شَمالِيّونَ |
| Genitive | شَمالِيٍّ | شَمالِيّينَ |
| Accusative | شَمالِيّاً | شَمالِيّينَ |
| Vocative | يا شَمالِيُّ | يا شَمالِيّونَ |
Word family
Etymology
The word is a nisba adjective formed from شَمال, the noun for "north" (and, in older usage, "left"). Adding the suffix ـِيّ turns the noun into "relating to the north." The root ش-م-ل carries a sense of the left side and the north, which sit together because a person facing the rising sun has the north on their left.
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