Quiz: How well do you know the Arabic terms for animals?

نَهيق is the word to describe the sound of a donkey.

• مُهْر means (male) foal/colt
• هَديل means cooing (of a pigeon)

نَمْل means ant.

Ants are real hard-working insects and got an entire Sura (27) named after it. The Sura tells the story of Prophet Sulayman/Solomon (سُلَيْمَان) who was gifted with the ability to speak and understand the language of animals, birds and insects. As told in the verses of the Qur’an, one of Prophet Solomon’s stories tells of his encounter with ants.

“Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, “O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not.”

(حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَىٰ وَادِ النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ – 27:18)

What about the other words?

• خُنْفُساء means beetle/scarab
• نامُوس means mosquito
• ذُباب means fly

The word ثَعْلَب means fox.

• نَحْل  means bee
• فَراش means butterfly
• حَمام means pigeon
• غُراب means crow

The word تِمْساح means crocodile.

The Big Five are:

• أَسَد which means lion
• نَمِر which means leopard
• كَرْكَدَنّ which means rhinoceros
• فِيل which means elephant
• جامُوس أفريقي which means Cape buffalo

You use نَعيق to describe the sound.

It is related to the root ن-ع-ق which denotes to croak; to caw.

• رَفيق means friend
• صُرْصُور means cockroach

The word لَبُؤة denotes a female lion.

• لُؤْلُؤ means pearl
• ابْن آوى means jackal
• مُهْرة means (female) foal/colt

A young donkey is called جَحْش.

• نَسْر means eagle/vulture
• حُوت means whale (big fish)
• قِرْش means shark