Judeo-Arabic (عربية يهودية / ערבית יהודית)

The Judeo-Arabic script is a version of the Hebrew script used to write the Judeo-Arabic language - a version of Arabic with influences from Hebrew and Aramaic. Judeo-Arabic is used by Jews in Arabic-speaking regions and began to develop after the 7th century AD, when Islam was spreading to the Middle East and North Africa. Most Judeo-Arabic literature is written by Jews for Jews and concerns Jewish topics. There are currently about 245,850 speakers of varieties of Judeo-Arabic.

Notable Features

Direction of writing: right to left in horizontal lines.
Some letters have a final form which is used when they appear at the end of a word. In the chart below, the final form is the one of the left where letters appear in pairs.
There are no separate numerals in Hebrew. Instead, each letter has a numeric value.
Long vowels are marked with alef (the first letter), waw or yod (the last two letters). The same letters are used for short vowels, though they are not usually marked at all.
Used to write: Judeo-Arabic

Judeo-Arabic script

Sample text - Iraqi dialect of Judeo-Arabic (Lord's Prayer)

יא אבאנא אלדי פי אלסמואת, יתׄקדס אסמך, תׄאתׄי מלכותׄך, תׄכון משיתך כסא פי אלסמא ועלי אלארץ, חבזנא אלדי ללעד אעטנא אליום, ואעפר לנא מא עלינו כמא נעפר נחן לםן לנא עליה, ולא תׄדחלנא אלתׄגארב, לכן נגנא מן אלשריר, לאן לך למלך ואלקות ואלמגד אלי אלאבד.

يا ابانا لدي في السموات, يثقدس اسمك, ثاثي ملكوثك, ثكون مشيتك كسا في السما وعلي الارص, حبزناء الدي للعد اعطنا اليوم, واغفر لنا ما علينو كما نغفر نحن لمن لنا عليه, ولا ثدحلناء لثجارب, لكن نجنا من لشرير, لن لك لملك والقوت والمجد الي لابد.

Tranliteration

Yā abānā illedī fī al-samwāti, yaṯaqaddasu asmuka, ṯāṯī malakūṯuka, ṯakūnu mašyatuka kamā fī al-samā waʕalay al-ārṣi, ḥubzanāʔ al-ladī liluʕadi aʕṭinā al-yawma. Wāǧfir lanā mā ʕalaynū kamā naǧfiru naḥnu liman lanā ʕalayhi, walā ṯudḥilnāʔ al-ṯṯagāriba, lakin nagginā mina al-šširīri, lanna laka lamluka wālquqata wālmagida alay al-abdi.

Translation

Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever.

Source: Nouvelle méthode pour entrer dans le vraisens de l'écriture sainte

Details provided by Michael Peter Füstumum

Sample video in Judeo-Arabic

Links

Information about Judeo-Arabic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judeo-Arabic_languages
https://www.jewishlanguages.org/judeo-arabic
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/jrb
https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/recovering-judeo-arabic/

Free Hebrew fonts
http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Hebrew.html
http://opensiddur.org/tools/fonts/
http://oketz.com/fonts/
http://www.daniella.co.il/daniella/bloog/font/Hebrew-font-page1.htm

Languages written with the Hebrew script

Aramaic, Bukhori, Domari, Hebrew, Jewish Neo-Aramaic, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian, Juhuri, Knaanic, Ladino, Mozarabic, Yiddish, Yevanic

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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