Hebrew & Arabic Similarities

• The Arabic language is written from right to left. David Sanger/Photodisc/Getty Images

  The complex relationship between Hebrew and Arabic is important because of the cultural, religious, and communicative significance in current day Israel, as well as other areas of the globe. The languages have influenced each other so that today, Hebrew and Arabic feature similarities in pronunciation and structure. The linguistic exchange is especially significant when discussing communication between Arab and Jewish communities. The languages' similarities show historical ties, present in the modern world.

Languages of Israel

• Both Arabic and Hebrew are recognized as official languages of the people of Israel. While Arabic was initially spoken mostly by the Arab population in Israel, the Israeli government has adopted a use of Arabic, alongside Hebrew.

Letter Sounds and Names

• The Hebrew and Arabic alphabets include letters with similar sounds, names and, in some circumstances, interpretations. The Meru Foundation offers a chart comparing the sounds of both alphabets according to one interpretation, connecting each corresponding letter to an interpreted shared significance. For example, the first letter in the Arabic alphabet, alif, in Arabic signifies "Allah," which is God, while the first Hebrew letter, aleph, means "master." The Meru Foundation then proposes that the shared meaning between the two words is "all consciousness."

Word Pronounciation

• Both Semitic languages, Arabic and Hebrew have words which sound alike and share similar meanings. To introduce oneself by saying, "my name is" sounds consistently familiar in both languages: In Arabic it is "ismee" and in Hebrew it is "shmee." Because Arabic was widely spoken after Hebrew was first written, Arabic is linguistically influenced by Hebrew. Once Hebrew regained popularity as a spoken language, Hebrew pronunciation was influenced by Arabic.

Script Direction

• Both Hebrew and Arabic are languages written horizontally from right to left.

Nikkud Dashes and Points

• The Hebrew alphabet does not include vowels, a feature common in early Semitic alphabets. Later, nikkud (points) were added to the alphabet to signify vowels sounds. The nikkuds are small dots and dashes added to the original Hebrew letters. Arabic also has marks which indicate vowels, added to the alphabet at a later time in its development to give more clarity to the written language.