Shortening a Name in Address
الترخيم (at-tarkhīm) is the grammatical license to drop the final letter(s) of a noun when using Calling Someone. It is primarily used in classical poetry and formal literature to express intimacy or for phonetic ease.
How It Works
الترخيم (literally 'softening') is a sophisticated feature of Arabic grammar. It allows a speaker to shorten a name to make it sound lighter or more affectionate. However, it is not a random nickname; it follows strict rules:
- Nouns with Tā’ Marbūṭa (ة): Any noun ending in ة can be shortened by dropping the ة entirely, regardless of its length. Unlike other nouns, these do not have to be proper nouns (e.g., jāriyah becomes jāriya, written as جاريَ).
- Nouns without Tā’ Marbūṭa: These must be proper nouns and must be quadriliteral (4 letters) or longer. A three-letter name like Zayd cannot undergo Tarkhīm. Proper nouns ending in Alif Maqṣūra (like Salmā) follow these same length requirements.
- The Penultimate Long Vowel: If the second-to-last letter is an extra, quiescent (sākin) Long Vowels that is the 4th letter or later in the word, both the last and second-to-last letters are dropped (e.g., Manṣūr becomes Manṣu).
- Compound Names: Mixed compounds (like Ma‘dīkarib) are shortened by dropping the second part. However, the majority of grammarians (the Basran school) prohibit the shortening of isnādī compounds (verbal phrase names). Possessive compounds like Possession by Joining Two Nouns (e.g., ‘Abd Allāh) cannot be shortened this way.
There are two ways to pronounce the shortened name:
1. Lughat man yantaẓir: Keeping the original vowel of the new last letter (e.g., Ya Ḥārith becomes Ya Ḥāri with a kasra, or Ya jāriyah becomes Ya jāriya with a fatḥa).
2. Lughat man lā yantaẓir: Treating the new last letter as the end and giving it a The Subject Ending (e.g., Ya Ḥāru). Note: This style is avoided if it causes gender ambiguity, such as shortening the female name Muslimah to Muslimu, which sounds like a masculine form.
Examples (6)
- أَفَاطِمُ مَهْلًا بَعْضَ هَذَا التَّدَلُّلِ
O Fatima, go easy; [cease] some of this coquetry.
Word by Word: O Fatim(a) slowly some (of) this the-coquetry
A famous line of poetry where 'Fāṭimah' (فاطمة) is shortened to 'Fāṭim' (فاطم) for poetic meter and endearment, dropping the final Tā’ Marbūṭa.
- يَا عَائِشُ، هَذَا جِبْرِيلُ يُقْرِئُكِ السَّلَامَ
O Aisha, here is Gabriel, greeting you with peace.
Word by Word: O Aish(a), this Gabriel he-reads-you the-peace
In this Hadith, the Prophet uses Tarkhīm for Aisha (عائشة), dropping the final Tā’ Marbūṭa (ة) to show affection, resulting in 'Ā'ish' (عائش).
- يَا مَنْصُ، أَقْبِلْ
O Mansur, come forward.
Word by Word: O Mansu(r), come-forward
When the second-to-last letter is an extra, quiescent long vowel (like the 'waw' in Manṣūr) and is the fourth letter or later, both the last and second-to-last letters are dropped.
- يَا جَارِيَ، أَسْرِعِي
O girl, hurry up.
Word by Word: O girl, hurry
Nouns ending in Tā’ Marbūṭa do not have to be proper names to undergo Tarkhīm. The rule requires dropping the ة entirely. In 'jāriyah' (جارية), the ة is removed, leaving 'jāriya' (جاريَ). In 'Lughat man yantaẓir', the original fatḥa on the 'yā’' is preserved.
- يَا حَارِ، انْتَبِهْ لِلطَّرِيقِ
O Harith, pay attention to the road.
Word by Word: O Hari(th), pay-attention to-the-road
Here, 'Ḥārith' (حارث) is shortened to 'Ḥāri' (حارِ). This follows the 'language of the one who waits' by keeping the original kasra on the 'r'.
- يَا مَعْدِي، أَقْبِلْ
O Ma'dikarib, come forward.
Word by Word: O Ma'di, come-forward
For a mixed compound name like Ma'dikarib (معديكرب), the entire second word is dropped. Note that while mixed compounds are shortened this way, the majority of grammarians (the Basran school) prohibit the shortening of isnādī (sentence-based) compounds.
Common Mistakes
Shortening a three-letter name that does not end in Tā’ Marbūṭa.
يَا هِنْيَا هِنْدُNames like Hind or Zayd are too short (3 letters) to undergo Tarkhīm unless they end in a Tā’ Marbūṭa.
Using Tarkhīm outside of the vocative case.
رَأَيْتُ فَاطِمَ فِي المَدْرَسَةِرَأَيْتُ فَاطِمَةَ فِي المَدْرَسَةِTarkhīm belongs to the vocative (calling) case. Outside it, a shortened name appears only in poetry, so ordinary prose keeps the full name.
Confusing Tarkhīm with Tafkhīm.
تَفْخِيمُ الاسْمِتَرْخِيمُ الاسْمِTafkhīm refers to heavy/emphatic pronunciation in phonology (Tajweed), while Tarkhīm refers to the morphological shortening of names.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand الترخيم (shortening names in address), a learner must first be familiar with the standard way of calling someone using the particle 'ya'. Since this pattern frequently involves removing the feminine 'taa marbuta' or the final radical of a name, knowledge of feminine endings and general case endings (I'rab) is necessary to understand how the word changes and how the new final vowel is determined.
- ياCalling Someone
الترخيم is a specific stylistic variation of the vocative case (calling someone), so understanding the basic 'ya' particle and its usage is essential.
Level 2 - ـةThe Feminine Ending ة
The most common form of الترخيم involves dropping the feminine ending (ة), so the learner must be able to identify this suffix.
Level 1 - The Case and Mood Endings
Shortening a name often affects the final vowel and case marking of the noun, requiring a basic understanding of how word endings function in Arabic.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- Nouns That Refuse Nunation
Many names eligible for Tarkhīm are also diptotes (nouns that don't take nunation), which affects their case endings.
Level 3 - Possession by Joining Two Nouns
Possessive compounds (Idafa) follow different rules and generally cannot be shortened using Tarkhīm.
Level 1 - Poetic License
Tarkhīm is frequently employed as a form of poetic license to maintain meter in classical Arabic verse.
Level 6
Practice Shortening a Name in Address in Bubblegum
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