The Living Arabic Project
@livingarabic.bsky.social
Arabic nerd who writes dictionaries for dialects and al-Fusha. Check it out: http://livingarabic.com. Support the data madness on Patreon: http://patreon.com/livingarabic
Happy to have been invited to join QFI's podcast All Things Arabic to talk about navigating Arabic's multiglossia.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
From the Classroom to Real Life: Navigating Arabic Multiglossia
YouTube video by QFI
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Happy to have been invited to join QFI's podcast All Things Arabic to talk about navigating Arabic's multiglossia.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
Happy to have been to join QFI's podcast All Things Arabic to talk about navigating Arabic's multiglossia.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
From the Classroom to Real Life: Navigating Arabic Multiglossia
YouTube video by QFI
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Happy to have been to join QFI's podcast All Things Arabic to talk about navigating Arabic's multiglossia.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SJ...
I've been working (mainly with my brother) on developing edutainment games for Arabic. Here's the latest: سمن وعسل (or سمنة وعسل , depending on your dialect). It's a card game based on "player-judge" games like Apples-to-Apples:
www.livingarabic.com/samne-w-3asal
www.livingarabic.com/samne-w-3asal
The Living Arabic Project - Classical Arabic and dialects
The Living Arabic Project - Online dictionaries and mobile apps for Classical Arabic and dialects.
www.livingarabic.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:12 PM
I've been working (mainly with my brother) on developing edutainment games for Arabic. Here's the latest: سمن وعسل (or سمنة وعسل , depending on your dialect). It's a card game based on "player-judge" games like Apples-to-Apples:
www.livingarabic.com/samne-w-3asal
www.livingarabic.com/samne-w-3asal
I love it when new resources are made for learning Arabic. Check out Alexander Magidow's translation of Fast Fantasy. It's a great way to have fun with friends and practice your Arabic at the same time.
amag111.itch.io/fast-fantasy...
amag111.itch.io/fast-fantasy...
فاست فانتاسي by amag111
لعبة تقمص الأدوار - قيد الانشاء
amag111.itch.io
December 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM
I love it when new resources are made for learning Arabic. Check out Alexander Magidow's translation of Fast Fantasy. It's a great way to have fun with friends and practice your Arabic at the same time.
amag111.itch.io/fast-fantasy...
amag111.itch.io/fast-fantasy...
Reposted by The Living Arabic Project
“Mysticism now rules the world, the cult of blood and violence, darkness, the longing for the past, nationalism. Do you think that anything great and noble, like this book, can come out of such chaos? No; you’ll see, our time will be remembered for its barbarity and barrenness.”
November 7, 2025 at 3:25 PM
“Mysticism now rules the world, the cult of blood and violence, darkness, the longing for the past, nationalism. Do you think that anything great and noble, like this book, can come out of such chaos? No; you’ll see, our time will be remembered for its barbarity and barrenness.”
Happy to have been invited by the AADL and give a brief talk introducing Arabic, some learning tips, and why it is so awesome:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo9f...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo9f...
Languages of the World: Arabic
YouTube video by Ann Arbor District Library
www.youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Happy to have been invited by the AADL and give a brief talk introducing Arabic, some learning tips, and why it is so awesome:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo9f...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo9f...
I've finally gotten back on my Arabic lessons through cooking videos series. This time, I pre-recorded the next 15 episodes and scheduled all the posts (once a week for the next few months, excluding holidays). Here's the latest: www.patreon.com/posts/arabic...
Arabic Cooking Lesson 10: 3asidiy | Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects
Get more from Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects on Patreon
www.patreon.com
September 29, 2025 at 9:22 PM
I've finally gotten back on my Arabic lessons through cooking videos series. This time, I pre-recorded the next 15 episodes and scheduled all the posts (once a week for the next few months, excluding holidays). Here's the latest: www.patreon.com/posts/arabic...
For supporters on Patreon, I've now added a new benefit: Removal of ads on The Living Arabic Project. It does require you to make an account on The Living Arabic Project, but that is free and only takes a few minutes.
Sign up on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/c/livingarabic
Sign up on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/c/livingarabic
Get more from Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects on Patreon
www.livingarabic.com — www.tsongaproject.com
www.patreon.com
August 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
For supporters on Patreon, I've now added a new benefit: Removal of ads on The Living Arabic Project. It does require you to make an account on The Living Arabic Project, but that is free and only takes a few minutes.
Sign up on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/c/livingarabic
Sign up on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/c/livingarabic
I've been trying to make games for Arabic dialects for a while, and now I've got one: a version of "Wordle" that works with dialects. I called it خسمة بسبعة because the grid is 5x7. You can select a dialect and play to your heart's content.
5x7-94b35e.gitlab.io
5x7-94b35e.gitlab.io
Khamsa b-Saba3a - خمسة بسبعة
Khamsa b-Saba3a is an arabic version of Wordle
5x7-94b35e.gitlab.io
August 11, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I've been trying to make games for Arabic dialects for a while, and now I've got one: a version of "Wordle" that works with dialects. I called it خسمة بسبعة because the grid is 5x7. You can select a dialect and play to your heart's content.
5x7-94b35e.gitlab.io
5x7-94b35e.gitlab.io
Check out this new explainer video for The Living Arabic Project with some advanced tips like how to find single letter words and some hidden secrets you probably didn't even know you could search for.
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
Explainer Video: Advanced Tips for Search The Living Arabic Project | Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects
Get more from Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects on Patreon
www.patreon.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Check out this new explainer video for The Living Arabic Project with some advanced tips like how to find single letter words and some hidden secrets you probably didn't even know you could search for.
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
While doing research on the shared vocabulary between different dialects, I realized the impact of different kinds of biases have on the dictionaries themselves. Check out my article talking about that on Al-Fanar Media:
www.al-fanarmedia.org/2025/07/who-...
www.al-fanarmedia.org/2025/07/who-...
www.al-fanarmedia.org
July 29, 2025 at 4:16 PM
While doing research on the shared vocabulary between different dialects, I realized the impact of different kinds of biases have on the dictionaries themselves. Check out my article talking about that on Al-Fanar Media:
www.al-fanarmedia.org/2025/07/who-...
www.al-fanarmedia.org/2025/07/who-...
I've made an explainer video about how to use The Living Arabic Project's dictionaries and posted it on Patreon (publicly accessible). I made it after a prof said they do a lesson on using the website, and I wanted to lend a hand. Please support on Patreon if you can.
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
Explainer Video: The Living Arabic Project's Dictionaries | Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects
Get more from Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects on Patreon
www.patreon.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:24 PM
I've made an explainer video about how to use The Living Arabic Project's dictionaries and posted it on Patreon (publicly accessible). I made it after a prof said they do a lesson on using the website, and I wanted to lend a hand. Please support on Patreon if you can.
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
www.patreon.com/posts/explai...
I just updated the Sudanese dictionary on The Living Arabic Project from about 2000 entries to over 10,000! Check out the post on Patreon—it's publicly accessible—for a bit more background on the data. Thanks to everyone who supports on Patreon.
www.patreon.com/posts/update...
www.patreon.com/posts/update...
Updated the Sudanese Dictionary | Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects
Get more from Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects on Patreon
www.patreon.com
July 24, 2025 at 10:49 AM
I just updated the Sudanese dictionary on The Living Arabic Project from about 2000 entries to over 10,000! Check out the post on Patreon—it's publicly accessible—for a bit more background on the data. Thanks to everyone who supports on Patreon.
www.patreon.com/posts/update...
www.patreon.com/posts/update...
Reposted by The Living Arabic Project
This essay by Alaa Alqaisi is coming on Monday, and you should read every word of it. Translate it. Paint it. Inscribe it. Mail it. Put it on walls.
July 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
This essay by Alaa Alqaisi is coming on Monday, and you should read every word of it. Translate it. Paint it. Inscribe it. Mail it. Put it on walls.
Reposted by The Living Arabic Project
Beneath the Howl of Hunger
"And though the world may have looked away, let this much be remembered: we named the hunger. We bore it. We endured. Let that remain." - Alaa Alqaisi
"And though the world may have looked away, let this much be remembered: we named the hunger. We bore it. We endured. Let that remain." - Alaa Alqaisi
Beneath the Howl of Hunger
"And though the world may have looked away, let this much be remembered: we named the hunger. We bore it. We endured. Let that remain." - Alaa Alqaisi
arablit.org
July 21, 2025 at 5:29 AM
Beneath the Howl of Hunger
"And though the world may have looked away, let this much be remembered: we named the hunger. We bore it. We endured. Let that remain." - Alaa Alqaisi
"And though the world may have looked away, let this much be remembered: we named the hunger. We bore it. We endured. Let that remain." - Alaa Alqaisi
Reposted by The Living Arabic Project
New Blog Post:
"Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question"
islamicorigins.com/did-muhammad...
"Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question"
islamicorigins.com/did-muhammad...
Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question - Islamic Origins
The last two decades have seen a proliferation of publications variously questioning or outright denying the historical existence of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Although such views have gained pract...
islamicorigins.com
June 28, 2025 at 4:09 AM
New Blog Post:
"Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question"
islamicorigins.com/did-muhammad...
"Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question"
islamicorigins.com/did-muhammad...
Does بينا عيش وملح actually mean there is bread and salt between us? Check out my post about it on Patreon
www.patreon.com/posts/does-b...
www.patreon.com/posts/does-b...
Does بينا عيش وملح actually mean there is bread and salt between us? | Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects
Get more from Hossam Abouzahr's Living Arabic Project, Tsonga Project, and Other Weird Language Projects on Patreon
www.patreon.com
May 25, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Does بينا عيش وملح actually mean there is bread and salt between us? Check out my post about it on Patreon
www.patreon.com/posts/does-b...
www.patreon.com/posts/does-b...
I'm excited to say that I've been invited to do a session on May 23 as part of TAFL Talks titled Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Overlap between MSA and Dialects—Implications on Learning in Teaching.
The talk is online and you can register: upenn.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
The talk is online and you can register: upenn.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
May 8, 2025 at 1:06 PM
I'm excited to say that I've been invited to do a session on May 23 as part of TAFL Talks titled Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Overlap between MSA and Dialects—Implications on Learning in Teaching.
The talk is online and you can register: upenn.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
The talk is online and you can register: upenn.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
My blog article for Aralects talking about the need to address the how we need to start addressing the split between different forms of Arabic (al-Fusha and dialects) in children's education.
blog.aralects.com/blog/where-d...
blog.aralects.com/blog/where-d...
Where Do We Go from Here?
Improving Arabic literacy starts by addressing the Standard Arabic-dialect split in curriculums — a reality often acknowledged but rarely acted upon in children’s education.
blog.aralects.com
April 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM
My blog article for Aralects talking about the need to address the how we need to start addressing the split between different forms of Arabic (al-Fusha and dialects) in children's education.
blog.aralects.com/blog/where-d...
blog.aralects.com/blog/where-d...
Reposted by The Living Arabic Project
The Syrian Arabic word for a hamster is أبو جراب (abu jrab), where jrab refers to a pouch/saddlebag/tote. And abu often means “father of,” but can also function as a general honorific (like “mister”). So it’s not too big a stretch to say the Syrian Arabic word for a hamster means “Mister Saddlebags”
April 12, 2025 at 11:51 AM
The Syrian Arabic word for a hamster is أبو جراب (abu jrab), where jrab refers to a pouch/saddlebag/tote. And abu often means “father of,” but can also function as a general honorific (like “mister”). So it’s not too big a stretch to say the Syrian Arabic word for a hamster means “Mister Saddlebags”
I'm happy to say that I've published my first article in a peer-reviewed journal, coauthored with my brother Mohammed Abouzahr:
Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Comparisons of Classical Arabic and Dialects
revues.imist.ma/index.php/IJ...
Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Comparisons of Classical Arabic and Dialects
revues.imist.ma/index.php/IJ...
Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Comparisons of Classical Arabic and Dialects | International Journal of Arabic Linguistics
In this paper we assess measurements of lexical and lexical-semantic similarities between varieties of Arabic, Classical and seven dialects, using The Living Arabic Project's database. A driving educational question behind this study is whether this overlap can be utilized to help learners bridge from their native dialect to learning in Classical Arabic (CA), as suggested in a 2021 report published by the World Bank that calls for harnessing words that are the “same” and “similar” between dialects and CA to improve the teaching of the latter while acknowledging that “further research is needed to quantify the degree of overlap in each context.” Our approach to measuring overlap yields more robust measurements of those similarities compared to hitherto popular approaches by trying to resolve challenges created by non-standardized orthographies for dialects and sample limitations. The Living Arabic Project's database also offers a fruitful angle to study lexical and lexical-semantic overlap between dialects by employing data curated using a standardized approach from primary and secondary sources. Nevertheless, we find that using the smaller datasets from some of the newer, less complete dialect dictionaries may lead to overestimating lexical and lexical-semantic overlap with Classical Arabic.
revues.imist.ma
April 7, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I'm happy to say that I've published my first article in a peer-reviewed journal, coauthored with my brother Mohammed Abouzahr:
Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Comparisons of Classical Arabic and Dialects
revues.imist.ma/index.php/IJ...
Lexical and Lexical-Semantic Comparisons of Classical Arabic and Dialects
revues.imist.ma/index.php/IJ...
Reposted by The Living Arabic Project
"There is no intelligence better than planning."
Al-Qāḍī al-Quḍāʿī, Light in the Heavens, translated by Tahera Qutbuddin
Al-Qāḍī al-Quḍāʿī, Light in the Heavens, translated by Tahera Qutbuddin
April 6, 2025 at 12:10 PM
"There is no intelligence better than planning."
Al-Qāḍī al-Quḍāʿī, Light in the Heavens, translated by Tahera Qutbuddin
Al-Qāḍī al-Quḍāʿī, Light in the Heavens, translated by Tahera Qutbuddin
This was a great show by Marcel Khalife and his son Rami Khalife and nephew Sary Khalife:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvE5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvE5...
Live from Hill Auditorium: Marcel, Rami, and Sary Khalife
YouTube video by UMS
www.youtube.com
April 6, 2025 at 11:15 AM
This was a great show by Marcel Khalife and his son Rami Khalife and nephew Sary Khalife:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvE5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvE5...
The machine is still struggling to understand Marcel Khalife
As he sings: إني اخترتُك يا وَطَنِي , the only thing the computer gets is Wagga Wagga Wagga.
As he sings: إني اخترتُك يا وَطَنِي , the only thing the computer gets is Wagga Wagga Wagga.
April 6, 2025 at 11:14 AM
The machine is still struggling to understand Marcel Khalife
As he sings: إني اخترتُك يا وَطَنِي , the only thing the computer gets is Wagga Wagga Wagga.
As he sings: إني اخترتُك يا وَطَنِي , the only thing the computer gets is Wagga Wagga Wagga.
Just finished adding all the recent word suggestions to www.livingarabic.com. My favorite is probably حَنَكَة (Hanacha) as a dated word for "grandmother" in Yemeni.
The Living Arabic Project - Classical Arabic and dialects
The Living Arabic Project - Online dictionaries and mobile apps for Classical Arabic and dialects.
www.livingarabic.com
April 4, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Just finished adding all the recent word suggestions to www.livingarabic.com. My favorite is probably حَنَكَة (Hanacha) as a dated word for "grandmother" in Yemeni.