अरब (arab)
noun/numeral/adjective
Two distinct senses: the proper noun for 'Arabia'/'Arab' (and its adjective use), and an unrelated number word meaning 'billion' -- these two are homonyms, not related meanings.
Sense
1
:
Arabia / an Arab person
noun, masculine
Synonyms: अरब देश (arab desh, 'Arab country/countries', used for the region)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll meet अरब (arab) most often in the compound अरब सागर (arab saagar, 'Arabian Sea'), the sea bordering Mumbai and Gujarat, and in phrases about अरब देश (arab desh, 'Arab countries') in news contexts (Gulf migration, oil, etc.), which are a live topic given how many Indians work in the Gulf.
Common Mistakes: 1) As a person-noun ('an Arab'), अरब (arab) is used for people from the Arab world generally; for the language, learners should reach for अरबी (arbii) instead, not अरब (arab).
Sample Sentences:
मुंबई के पास अरब सागर है।
The Arabian Sea is near Mumbai.
(mumbaii ke paas arab saagar hai।)
गुजरात का किनारा अरब सागर से मिलता है।
Gujarat's coastline meets the Arabian Sea.
(gujraat kaa kinaaraa arab saagar se miltaa hai।)
बहुत से भारतीय काम के लिए अरब देशों में जाते हैं।
Many Indians go to the Arab countries for work.
(bahut se bhaartiiy kaam ke lie arab deshon men jaate hain।)
मेरे पिता कई साल तक अरब में नौकरी करते रहे।
My father kept working in Arabia for several years.
(mere pitaa kaii saal tak arab men naukrii karte rahe।)
खबरों में अरब देशों के तेल संकट पर चर्चा हो रही है।
There is discussion in the news about the oil crisis in the Arab countries.
(khabron men arab deshon ke tel sankat par charchaa ho rahii hai।)
अगर तेल की कीमत गिरती तो अरब देशों की अर्थव्यवस्था पर असर पड़ता।
If oil prices had fallen, it would have affected the economy of the Arab countries.
(agar tel kii kiimat girtii to arab deshon kii arthavyvasthaa par asar padtaa।)
क्या तुम अरब सागर के किनारे गए हो?
Have you been to the shore of the Arabian Sea?
(kyaa tum arab saagar ke kinaare gae ho?)
अरब सागर में कई जहाज़ माल ढो रहे हैं।
Many ships are carrying cargo in the Arabian Sea.
(arab saagar men kaii jahaaz maal dho rahe hain।)
अरब देशों में मानसून के मौसम में भी बारिश कम होती है।
Even during the monsoon season, there is little rain in the Arab countries.
(arab deshon men maansoon ke mausam men bhii baarish kam hotii hai।)
उसने बताया कि उसका भाई दुबई, यानी अरब में, दस साल से रह रहा है।
He told me that his brother has been living in Dubai, that is, in Arabia, for ten years.
(usne bataayaa ki uskaa bhaaii dubaii, yaanii arab men, das saal se rah rahaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
billion (10^9)
numeral Used in the Indian numbering system alongside लाख (laakh, hundred thousand) and करोड़ (karod, ten million); अरब (arab) is the next unit up from करोड़ (karod).
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll rarely need अरब (arab) in daily bazaar chat, but it shows up constantly in news about population, budgets, and economics -- India's population and GDP figures are routinely quoted in करोड़ (karod) and अरब (arab) rather than 'million' and 'billion,' so news-watching learners benefit from getting comfortable with this scale.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners coming from the Western system often map अरब (arab) to 'billion' correctly in value but stumble on the grouping: numbers this large are written and spoken in the 2-2-3 digit grouping (as in 1,00,00,00,000) rather than the Western 3-3-3 grouping, so saying or writing the number aloud takes practice. 2) Don't confuse अरब (arab, billion) with the homonymous अरब (arab, Arabia) -- context (numbers vs. geography) always disambiguates.
Sample Sentences:
भारत की आबादी एक अरब चालीस करोड़ से ज़्यादा है।
India's population is more than one billion four hundred million.
(bhaarat kii aabaadii ek arab chaaliis karod se zyaadaa hai।)
सरकार ने इस योजना के लिए दो अरब रुपये मंज़ूर किए।
The government approved two billion rupees for this scheme.
(sarkaar ne is yojnaa ke lie do arab rupye manzoor kie।)
अगर कंपनी का मुनाफ़ा एक अरब डॉलर से ऊपर चला जाता तो शेयर की क़ीमत आसमान छू लेती।
If the company's profit had crossed one billion dollars, the share price would have touched the sky.
(agar kampnii kaa munaafaa ek arab dolar se oopar chalaa jaataa to sheyar kii qiimat aasmaan chhoo letii।)
विशेषज्ञों का अनुमान है कि दुनिया की आबादी अगले तीस सालों में दो अरब और बढ़ जाएगी।
Experts estimate that the world's population will increase by another two billion in the next thirty years.
(visheshgyon kaa anumaan hai ki duniyaa kii aabaadii agle tiis saalon men do arab aur badh jaaegii।)
इतनी बड़ी रकम की कल्पना करना मुश्किल है -- सोचिए, पाँच अरब लोग एक साथ इंटरनेट इस्तेमाल कर रहे हैं।
It's hard to imagine such a huge number -- just think, five billion people are using the internet at the same time.
(itnii badii rakam kii kalpnaa karnaa mushkil hai -- sochie, paanch arab log ek saath intarnet istemaal kar rahe hain।)
क्या तुम्हें पता है कि एक अरब में कितने शून्य होते हैं?
Do you know how many zeros are in one billion?
(kyaa tumhen pataa hai ki ek arab men kitne shoony hote hain?)
इस साल कंपनी का कुल कारोबार तीन अरब रुपये को पार कर चुका है।
This year the company's total turnover has already crossed three billion rupees.
(is saal kampnii kaa kul kaarobaar tiin arab rupye ko paar kar chukaa hai।)
यह आँकड़ा इतना बड़ा है कि इसे अरबों में गिनना पड़ता है, करोड़ों में नहीं।
This figure is so large that it has to be counted in billions, not in tens of millions.
(yah aankdaa itnaa badaa hai ki ise arbon men ginnaa padtaa hai, karodon men nahiin।)
देश का कुल क़र्ज़ बढ़कर सौ अरब डॉलर हो गया।
The country's total debt rose to one hundred billion dollars.
(desh kaa kul qarz badhkar sau arab dolar ho gayaa।)
Sense
3
:
Arab, Arabian
adjective Functions as an invariant modifier before a noun, e.g. अरब सागर (arab saagar, 'Arabian Sea'); in most other adjectival uses अरबी (arbii) is preferred.
Synonyms: अरबी (arbii, more common as the adjective form)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This adjectival use is narrow -- mostly locked into fixed names like अरब सागर (arab saagar); for describing something as 'Arab-style' in free conversation, learners will hear अरबी (arbii) far more often.
Sample Sentences:
अरब सागर भारत के पश्चिम में है।
The Arabian Sea is to the west of India.
(arab saagar bhaarat ke pashchim men hai।)
मुंबई अरब सागर के किनारे बसा हुआ शहर है।
Mumbai is a city settled on the shore of the Arabian Sea.
(mumbaii arab saagar ke kinaare basaa huaa shahar hai।)
मानसून की हवाएँ अरब सागर से उठती हैं।
The monsoon winds rise from the Arabian Sea.
(maansoon kii havaaen arab saagar se uthtii hain।)
अरब सागर में कई मछुआरे रोज़ी-रोटी कमाते हैं।
Many fishermen earn their living in the Arabian Sea.
(arab saagar men kaii machhuaare rozii-rotii kamaate hain।)
पिछले साल अरब सागर में एक बड़ा तूफ़ान आया था।
Last year a big storm came in the Arabian Sea.
(pichhle saal arab saagar men ek badaa toofaan aayaa thaa।)
क्या तुमने कभी अरब सागर देखा है?
Have you ever seen the Arabian Sea?
(kyaa tumne kabhii arab saagar dekhaa hai?)
अगर मौसम साफ़ रहा, तो हम अरब सागर के किनारे घूमने जाएँगे।
If the weather stays clear, we will go for a walk along the Arabian Sea.
(agar mausam saaf rahaa, to ham arab saagar ke kinaare ghoomne jaaenge।)
भूगोल की किताब में अरब सागर की गहराई का ज़िक्र किया गया है।
The geography book mentions the depth of the Arabian Sea.
(bhoogol kii kitaab men arab saagar kii gahraaii kaa zikr kiyaa gayaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
अरब
(arab)
(sg.m.oblique):
अरब
(arab)
(pl.m.direct):
अरब
(arab)
(pl.m.oblique):
अरबों
(arbon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
अरब
(arab)