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Solving the Mystery of مِائَة: The Story Behind the Spelling of 100 in Arabic
The Arabic word for “hundred,” مِائَة, presents a fascinating linguistic anomaly: it’s written with an extra Aleph, but pronounced as مِئَة. This article delves into the historical reasons behind this unique spelling, clarifies the correct pronunciation, and explains its grammatical usage, including how it combines with other numbers.
The Arabic word for “hundred” (مِائَة) poses a common point of confusion for learners due to its unique spelling, which differs from its pronunciation (مِئَة).
This article explains the historical context behind the spelling of مِائَة, clarifies the correct way to pronounce it, and details its grammatical functions within Arabic sentences.
So, how is it possible to have a كَسْرة before the Arabic letter Aleph? This is actually impossible in Arabic. Well, let’s see…
Ideas behind the different spellings of hundred in Arabic
There are several ideas to justify the strange spelling of مِاْئَة.
- Some scholars date it back to the first writers of the Qur’an. The letter Aleph ا was probably meant to indicate the vowel of the second syllable but, for whatever reason, it was placed before – and not after – the ئ.
- Others say it was used to differentiate between the words hundred (مِئَة), category (فِئَة) and from him (ُمِنْه). Arabic was written without vowel signs and dots, thus the words مِئَة and مِنْه would have looked exactly the same!
How is it in other Semitic languages?
A version of the word hundred similar to the Arabic version is also found in other Semitic languages, e.g. מֵאָה (“me-a”) in Hebrew. The Hebrew word is related to the Phoenician and Aramaic word.
The Hebrew letter Aleph (א) is sometimes related to the Hamza in Arabic which may explain the spelling of the Arabic word مِئَة.
What is the correct pronunciation of مِائَة?
Whatever the reason is, the Aleph in the word مِائَة is nothing but extra (مُجَرَّد زِيادة). Therefore, don’t pronounce the word as if it were written with a long vowel “aa” which would result in مَائَة (“maa’a”). This is wrong!
The vowels are pronounced short and with “i”, i.e., مِئَة. In many Arabic dialects, the word مِيّة is used.
Strange forms
مِائَة usually serves as the first part of a إِضافة. A following word therefore has to be in the genitive case (singular). In its written form, the numerals from 3 to 9 are often united with مِائَة into one word.
For example: 300 years (ثَلاثُمِائةِ سَنَةٍ)
However, the very correct view is that you should separate them.
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Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2019, January 31). Solving the Mystery of مِائَة: The Story Behind the Spelling of 100 in Arabic. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-do-you-spell-and-pronounce-hundred-in-arabic/
Published: January 31, 2019
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
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Neat! I’ve been wondering why the word is written like this ever since I came across it in my entry Arabic classes.
Excellent article.