ابن

See also: أبن, أثن, اثن, أتن, and آتن

Arabic

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ibn/
Audio: (file)

Noun

اِبْن • (ibn) m (plural أَبْنَاء (ʔabnāʔ) or بَنُون (banūn) or بَنَات (banāt), feminine اِبْنَة (ibna) or بِنْت (bint))

son
بُنَيَّ/بُنَيَّتِي ― bunayya/bunayyatī ― my dear son/daughter (diminutive)

اِبْنُ آدَمَ ― ibnu ʔādama ― human (literally, “son of Adam”)
descendant, scion
offspring, son of the fatherland
member (of a group or set of people or things)

Usage notes

The plural بَنَات (banāt) is used as the plural of اِبْن (ibn) if and only if the referents are things or non-human animals.

Declension

Declension of noun **اِبْن** (ibn)
singular	basic singular triptote
singular	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	اِبْن ibn	الِابْن al-ibn	اِبْن ibn
nominative	اِبْنٌ ibnun	الِابْنُ al-ibnu	اِبْنُ ibnu
accusative	اِبْنًا ibnan	الِابْنَ al-ibna	اِبْنَ ibna
genitive	اِبْنٍ ibnin	الِابْنِ al-ibni	اِبْنِ ibni
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	اِبْنَيْن ibnayn	الِابْنَيْن al-ibnayn	اِبْنَيْ ibnay
nominative	اِبْنَانِ ibnāni	الِابْنَانِ al-ibnāni	اِبْنَا ibnā
accusative	اِبْنَيْنِ ibnayni	الِابْنَيْنِ al-ibnayni	اِبْنَيْ ibnay
genitive	اِبْنَيْنِ ibnayni	الِابْنَيْنِ al-ibnayni	اِبْنَيْ ibnay
plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; sound masculine plural‎; sound feminine plural
plural	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	أَبْنَاء‎; بَنِين‎; بَنَات ʔabnāʔ‎; banīn‎; banāt	الْأَبْنَاء‎; الْبَنِين‎; الْبَنَات al-ʔabnāʔ‎; al-banīn‎; al-banāt	أَبْنَاء‎; بَنِي‎; بَنَات ʔabnāʔ‎; banī‎; banāt
nominative	أَبْنَاءٌ‎; بَنُونَ‎; بَنَاتٌ ʔabnāʔun‎; banūna‎; banātun	الْأَبْنَاءُ‎; الْبَنُونَ‎; الْبَنَاتُ al-ʔabnāʔu‎; al-banūna‎; al-banātu	أَبْنَاءُ‎; بَنُو‎; بَنَاتُ ʔabnāʔu‎; banū‎; banātu
accusative	أَبْنَاءً‎; بَنِينَ‎; بَنَاتٍ ʔabnāʔan‎; banīna‎; banātin	الْأَبْنَاءَ‎; الْبَنِينَ‎; الْبَنَاتِ al-ʔabnāʔa‎; al-banīna‎; al-banāti	أَبْنَاءَ‎; بَنِي‎; بَنَاتِ ʔabnāʔa‎; banī‎; banāti
genitive	أَبْنَاءٍ‎; بَنِينَ‎; بَنَاتٍ ʔabnāʔin‎; banīna‎; banātin	الْأَبْنَاءِ‎; الْبَنِينَ‎; الْبَنَاتِ al-ʔabnāʔi‎; al-banīna‎; al-banāti	أَبْنَاءِ‎; بَنِي‎; بَنَاتِ ʔabnāʔi‎; banī‎; banāti

Alternative forms

بْن (bn)

Related terms

بُنُوَّة (bunuwwa)
بَنَوِيّ (banawiyy)
تَبَنٍّ (tabannin)

Descendants

Hijazi Arabic: ابن (ibin)
Maltese: iben
Moroccan Arabic: بن (bin)
→ Swahili: bin

Etymology 2

Verb

اِبْنِ • (ibni) (form I) /ib.ni/

second-person masculine singular imperative of بَنَى (banā)

References

Wehr, Hans (1979) “بن”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Aleppo) /ʔibn/, [ˈʔɨbən]
IPA^(key): (Beirut) /ʔibn/, [ˈʔɪb(ɪ)n]

Noun

ابن • (ibin) m (plural ولاد (wlād) or صبيان (ṣibyān, ṣubyān))

son

Usage notes

The plural ولاد (wlād) can mean “sons” specifically, but also “children” in general. The alternative plural is used to explicitly specify the masculine.

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ˈʔibn/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔɪbn]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔibn]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔebn]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔibn]

Readings
Classical reading^?	ibn
Dari reading^?	ibn
Iranian reading^?	ebn
Tajik reading^?	ibn

Noun

اِبن • (ebn)

ibn; a word meaning "son", used only in patronymic names and certain literary expressions borrowed from Arabic.
― ebn-e sinâ ― Avicenna

― ebn-e 'arabi ― Ibn Arabi

― ebn-e heysam ― Ibn al-Haytham

Usage notes

In names, it is used with the ezâfe.

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔibn/, [ʔi.b(ɪ)n]
Audio (al-Lidd): (file)

Noun

ابن • (ʔibn) m (plural ولاد (wlād), feminine بنت (bint))

son
Synonym: ولد (walad)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian (ibn), from Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Pronunciation

(Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ɪbn/

Noun

اِبْن • (ibn) m (Hindi spelling इब्न)

References

“ابن”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
“ابن”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.

Yemeni Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِبْن (ibn).

Noun

ابن (ibn, ubn) m (plural بني (banī))

son
side-branch of a tree

References

Piamenta, Moshe (1991) Dictionary of Post-Classical Yemeni Arabic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 39b–40b