Plurals That Reshape the Word

Level 1

Unlike English 's' or Arabic 'sound' plurals, the Broken Plural (Jam‘ al-Taksīr) 'breaks' the singular word's shape. It is the most common plural for objects, places, and many human roles.

How It Works

The Broken Plural (جمع التكسير) is a fundamental part of Arabic morphology. While Sound Masculine Plurals and Sound Feminine Plurals keep the singular stem intact, the broken plural reshapes it. This applies to both nouns and many common adjectives (e.g., كَبِير becomes كِبَار).

Key characteristics include:

  • Patterns: There are over 30 patterns, but a few common ones cover most words (e.g., بُيُوت or رِجَال).
  • Case Endings: Most broken plurals use standard short vowels (damma, fatha, and kasra). However, some specific patterns are diptotes. These patterns (like مَفَاعِل) do not take nunation and use a fatha instead of a kasra in the genitive case only when they are indefinite. If they have the definite article or are the first part of an idafa, they take a standard kasra.
  • Agreement Rules: Agreement depends on whether the noun is ‘āqil (human) or ghayr ‘āqil (non-human):
    • Non-Human (ghayr ‘āqil): A crucial rule is that non-human plurals are treated as feminine singular for adjectives and verbs (e.g., كُتُب جَدِيدَة).
    • Human (‘āqil): Human broken plurals (like طُلَّاب) typically follow standard plural agreement, meaning they take plural adjectives and verbs.

Because these forms are so common, it is best to learn the plural of a new noun at the same time you learn the singular to become proficient in the language.

Examples (6)

  1. كِتَاب - كُتُب

    Book - Books

    Word by Word: Kitāb - Kutub

    This follows the 'Fu‘ul' pattern. Notice that like singular nouns, broken plurals use standard case endings (damma, fatha, kasra).

  2. بَيْت - بُيُوت

    House - Houses

    Word by Word: Bayt - Buyūt

    This follows the 'Fu‘ūl' pattern. These plurals are declined just like singular nouns rather than using the suffixes found in sound plurals.

  3. رَجُل - رِجَال

    Man - Men

    Word by Word: Rajul - Rijāl

    A common pattern for human nouns. Unlike non-human objects, human broken plurals usually take plural adjectives.

  4. صَلَّيْتُ فِي مَسَاجِدَ كَثِيرَةٍ.

    I prayed in many mosques.

    Word by Word: I-prayed in mosques many.

    The word 'masājida' is a diptote. Because it is indefinite, it takes a fatha instead of a kasra after the preposition 'fī'.

  5. صَلَّيْتُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ الْكَبِيرَةِ.

    I prayed in the big mosques.

    Word by Word: I-prayed in the-mosques the-big.

    When a diptote plural like 'al-masājidi' has the definite article 'al-', it returns to using a standard kasra for the genitive case.

  6. كَبِير - كِبَار

    Big (singular) - Big (plural)

    Word by Word: Kabīr - Kibār

    Broken plural patterns are not just for nouns; many common adjectives also reshape their stems to form the plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a plural adjective with a non-human broken plural.

    الكُتُب الجُدُد
    الكُتُب الجَدِيدَة

    A non-human plural usually takes a feminine singular adjective: الكُتُب الجَدِيدَة. A plural adjective such as الجُدُد is possible in some phrases, but the feminine singular is the standard choice.

  • Using كتابات for physical books.

    Different Meaningكِتَابَات
    كُتُب

    كِتَابَات is a real plural, but it means "writings". The plural for the physical object "book" is the broken plural كُتُب.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Plurals That Reshape the WordLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand broken plurals (Jam' al-Taksir), you first need to understand how Arabic words are built from roots and patterns. You also need to be familiar with the general concept of pluralization in Arabic and how short vowels change the internal structure of a word, as this type of plural does not use standard suffixes.

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Patterns that build on this one.