Tracing the Echoes: Arabic influence on Spanish

Did you know that Spanish, the fourth most spoken language in the world, isn’t just a product of Latin, but also of Arabic? As the official language in 21 countries, Spanish boasts a fascinating history deeply intertwined with the language and culture of the Arab world.

Whether you’re a Spanish speaker eager to uncover the Arabic roots within your language, boost your Arabic vocabulary, or simply curious about the impact of Arabic on Spanish, this blog will take you on a captivating journey through time. Discover the stories behind common words, the origins of place names, and the cultural exchanges that have shaped Spanish into the vibrant language it is today. Dive in and explore the Arabic connections that continue to enrich Spanish language and culture.

Koldo Biguri, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Reasons for Arabic influence on Spanish

Arab and Berber Muslims from North Africa invaded the Iberian Peninsula, now known as Spain and Portugal, in 711 AD – more than 1,300 years ago.

The invastion was led by the Umayyad commander Tariq ibn Ziyad after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, whose name comes from جِبِل طارِق which literally means “Tariq’s Mountain.”

Tariq and his army achieved a decisive victory at the Battle of Guadalete on July 19, 711 AD, paving the way for Muslim expansion across the peninsula, known as the opening of Andalusia, فَتْح الانْدَلُس

Subsequently, they established an Islamic state known as al-Andalus, which lasted over 700 years and flourished as a center of cultural, scientific, and economic prosperity, renowned for its advancements in art, architecture, literature, and the sciences. During this period, Arabic became the dominant language in governance, education, commerce, and culture. Though Latin, the precursor to modern Spanish, remained prevalent, Arabic heavily influenced the language and helped it evolve into what we now recognize as modern Spanish.

Arabic influence on Spanish vocabulary

If you already speak a bit of Spanish, you may already know more Arabic words than you think. That’s because one of the most apparent and enduring influences of Arabic on Spanish is the large number of borrowed and derived words. A borrowed word is a word taken from another language and used without translation. A derivation is a word formed from another word by adding prefixes or suffixes.

Common Spanish words from Arabic

There are more than 4,000 Arabic-derived words in the Spanish dictionary, many of which are common and used in everyday life.

Below is a list of common Spanish words with Arabic origins. Many Spanish words beginning with “a” or “al-” have Arabic roots. In the table, we’ve omitted the definite article “al-” (ال) from the Arabic words, though they’re typically added. Many of these words have been adapted to fit the Latin alphabet and Spanish phonetic patterns.

English	Spanish	MSA	Levantine	Egyptian	Gulf	Maghrebi
oil	aceite	زيت	زيت	زيت	زيت	زيت
olive	aceituna	زيتون	زيتون	زتون	زيتون	زيتون
pillow	almohada	مخدة	مخدة	مخدة	مخدة	مخدة
construction worker	albañil	بنّاء	X	X	X	X
alchemy	alquimia	كيمياء	كيميا	كيميا	كيميا	X
alcohol	alcohol	كحول	كحول	كحول	كحول	X
rice	arroz	أرز	رز	رز	رز	روز
cotton	algodón	قطن	قطن	قطن	قطن	قطن
sugar	azúcar	سكر	سكر	سكر	سكر	سكر
lagoon	albufera	بحيرة	X	بحيرة	بحيرة	X
scimitar	alfanje	خنجر	خنجر	X	خنجر	خنجر
irrigation ditch	acequia	ساقية	ساقية	ساقية	X	X
oil mill	almazara	معصرة	معصرة	معصرة	معصرة	معصرة
village	aldea	ضيعة	ضيعة	X	X	X
mayor	alcalde	قاضي	قاضي	قاضي	قاضي	قاضي
orange	naranja	نارنج	نارنج	نارنج	X	X
blue	zarco	أزرق	أزرق	أزرق	أزرق	ازرق
lemon	limón	ليمون	ليمون	لمون	ليمون	ليمون
eggplant	berenjena	باذنجان	باتنجان	بتنجان	باذنجان	بودنجال
jug	jarra	جرّة	جرة	X	X	X
hostage	rehén	رهينة	رهينة	رهينة	رهينة	رهينة

Spanish influence on Arabic vocabulary

Many Spanish words have made their way into Arabic over the centuries, becoming part of everyday vocabulary in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and various dialects, like Darija, Levantine, Egyptian, and Gulf. The table below lists Arabic words from Spanish:

English	Spanish	Darija	Levantine	MSA	Egyptian	Gulf
bathtub	baño	بانيو	بانيو	X	بانيو	بانيو
mess/chaos	ruina	روينة	X	X	X	X
cart	carroza	كروسة	X	X	X	X
dress	saya	صاية	X	X	X	X
table	tabla	طابلة	X	طاولة	X	X
wheel	rueda	رويضة	X	X	X	X
Spanish	español	سبليون	X	X	X	X
tomato	tomate	X	X	طماطم	طماطم	X
shrimp	camarón	قيمرون	X	X	X	X
blanket	manta	مانطة	X	X	X	X
school	escuela	سكويلة	X	X	X	X
coat	capote	كبُّوط	كَبُّوت	X	X	X
sandal	sandalia	صَنْدَالَة	صندل	صندل	صندل	صندل
soup	sopa	صُّوبَّة	X	X	X	X
week	semana	سيمانا	X	X	X	X
total; summed	suma	سُّومَة	X	X	X	X

These changes occurred due to the absence of letters like ق (qāf), ض . (ḍād),ح (ḥā’), ع (‘ayn), and غ . (ghayn) in the Latin alphabet, and Arabic word endings were often changed from consonants to vowels to fit Spanish tastes.

Many Spanish cities and regions have names of Arabic origin. Here are some prominent examples:

City/Region	Arabic Name	Meaning/Translation	Historical Context
Andalucía	أَنْدَلُسُ	Andalusia	The Muslim-ruled region of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492 left a lasting legacy on Spanish culture and architecture
Almería	المَرأى مرَايَا	lookout/mirror	Founded by Caliph Abd al-Rahman III Nasir in 955 AD, it was famous for its watchtower, which served as a lookout (offering a mirror-like reflection on the sea)
Algeciras	الجزيرَة الخضرة	The green island	Founded by the Moors in the early 8th century and served as a crucial port and trading hub near the Strait of Gibraltar
Valladolid	بلد الوليد	Named after Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik	Named after the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, who ruled from 705 to 715 AD
Guadalquivir	الوادي الكبير	The great river	The only major navigable river in Spain

Arabic influence on Spanish grammar and pronunciation

The Arabic influence on Spanish grammar is less obvious than its impact on vocabulary, but is still present.

One example is the use of the definite article “el” before some feminine nouns that begin with a stressed sound, such as “el agua” (the water), “el alma” (the soul), and “el hambre” (the hunger).

This usage stems from Arabic, where there is no distinction between masculine and feminine in sources, and all names start with a fixed sound. To avoid a clash between two vowel sounds, Spanish speakers adopted using “el” instead of “la” before these names.

Another example of Arabic Influence on Spanish Grammar is the use of the suffix –i or –y to form adjectives from place names, such as:

Spanish	Arabic	Meaning
Iraquí	عراقي	Iraqi
Marroquí	مغربي	Moroccan
Turco	تركي (Turki) with a modification in the ending by adding an (o)	Turkish

This suffix comes from the Arabic genitive case, which indicates a relationship or affiliation with something. It’s also used in other languages influenced by Arabic, such as Persian and Urdu.

Arabic influence on Spanish phonetics

The Arabic influence on the Spanish language, particularly in terms of phonetics and sounds, is more nuanced and limited than its substantial impact on vocabulary. While the Arabic language didn’t directly reshape the fundamental sound structure of Spanish, there are subtle reflections in certain phonetic aspects:

The “J” or “G” sound in Spanish appears when “j” or “g” comes before the letters “e” or “i” in Spanish words. You can hear it in words like “jamón” (pronounced like “kha-MON”, which means ham) or “gente“ (pronounced like “KHEN-te”, which means people).

This sound is throaty and deep, similar to the “ch” in the Scottish “loch” or the German “Bach.” It closely resembles the Arabic letter خ (khāʼ). This sound is especially common in Southern Spain, in areas like Andalusia, which had a long history under Moorish rule. The influence of Arabic on Spanish is evident in the pronunciation patterns found in this region of Spain.

Pronunciation of certain words: The pronunciation of some Spanish words borrowed from Arabic might retain a slight phonetic character reminiscent of Arabic. However, this influence is more about specific words rather than a broad phonetic influence on the Spanish language as a whole.

Spanish: Almohada (pillow).
Arabic origin: مخدة (mikhadda).
The “al-” in “almohada” reflects the Arabic definite article ال- , and the overall pronunciation retains a softness that is reminiscent of Arabic phonetics, though adapted to Spanish norms.

Loanwords:The phonetic aspects of some Arabic loanwords in Spanish have influenced pronunciation patterns, especially in terms of maintaining the “h” sound in words that originally began with an Arabic ح (ḥāʼ) or خ (khāʼ), though these are often adapted to fit Spanish phonetic norms (e.g., “alcohol” from Arabic الكحول al-kuḥul).

These examples illustrate how Arabic has subtly influenced certain unique sounds in Spanish, reflecting the historical blend of cultures in Spain.

Enduring Arabic legacy in Spanish culture

The influence of Arabic on Spanish is not only linguistic but is also cultural. Many buildings and landmarks in Spain feature Arabic styles or elements, such as:

Alhambra in Granada: The name “Alhambra” comes from الْحَمْرَاء which means the “the red one,” in reference to the reddish color of its walls.

The Mosque of Córdoba: Known as “La Mezquita” in Spanish, this grand mosque (now a cathedral) was originally constructed during the Moorish rule of Córdoba. The name “Mezquita” derives from مسجد which means mosque.

The Giralda in Seville: Originally built as the minaret for the Great Mosque of Seville, it’s now the bell tower of Seville Cathedral, converted from a mosque.

The Segovia Palace: The Segovia Palace, also known as the Alcázar of Segovia, has medieval origins. “Alcázar” comes from القصر , meaning the palace or fortress.

Flamenco music, which originated in Andalusia, incorporates elements from Moroccan, Jewish, and Romani music. The guitar evolved from the Arab oud.

Spanish cuisine also bears Arabic influence, with dishes like paella derived from بقايا (literally: leftovers), and tapas, small food portions originally used to cover wine glasses to keep flies out, a practice introduced by the Moors.

Additionally, Arabic influence permeates Spanish literature, as seen in works like Miguel de Cervantes’ ‘Don Quixote,’ which contains many Arabic-origin words and expressions, and Federico García Lorca, who drew inspiration from Moroccan culture and poetry in Granada. This profound integration of Arabic showcases the rich, intertwined heritage that shapes much of Spain’s cultural landscape today.

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