دنيا

See also: دنیا

Arabic

Etymology

From the root د ن و (d-n-w) or د ن ي (d-n-y). Feminine elative of أَدْنَى (ʔadnā, “lower”). دُنيَا (“world”) is originally the "lower place" (as opposed to heaven, the "higher place"); compare English here below.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dun.jaː/

Adjective

دُنْيَا • (dunyā) f

1. feminine singular of أَدْنَى (ʔadnā, “lower”)

Noun

دُنْيَا • (dunyā) f (dual دُنْيَيَان (dunyayān), plural دُنًا (dunan) or دُنًى (dunan) or دُنْيَيَات (dunyayāt))

1. this mortal life; life in this world
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 3:145:

     وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِي ٱلشَّاكِرِينَ

     waman yurid ṯawāba d-dunyā nuʔtihi minhā waman yurid ṯawāba l-ʔāḵirati nuʔtihi minhā wasanajzī š-šākirīna

     And whoever desires the reward of this world - We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter - We will give him thereof. And We will reward the grateful.

2. world (the Earth, or any this-worldly habitat, excluding the next world)

Declension

Declension of noun دُنْيَا (dunyā)

Singular	singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	دُنْيَا dunyā	الدُّنْيَا ad-dunyā	دُنْيَا dunyā
Nominative	دُنْيَا dunyā	الدُّنْيَا ad-dunyā	دُنْيَا dunyā
Accusative	دُنْيَا dunyā	الدُّنْيَا ad-dunyā	دُنْيَا dunyā
Genitive	دُنْيَا dunyā	الدُّنْيَا ad-dunyā	دُنْيَا dunyā
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	دُنْيَيَيْن dunyayayn	الدُّنْيَيَيْن ad-dunyayayn	دُنْيَيَيْ dunyayay
Nominative	دُنْيَيَانِ dunyayāni	الدُّنْيَيَانِ ad-dunyayāni	دُنْيَيَا dunyayā
Accusative	دُنْيَيَيْنِ dunyayayni	الدُّنْيَيَيْنِ ad-dunyayayni	دُنْيَيَيْ dunyayay
Genitive	دُنْيَيَيْنِ dunyayayni	الدُّنْيَيَيْنِ ad-dunyayayni	دُنْيَيَيْ dunyayay
Plural	broken plural in ـًا (-an)‎; broken plural in ـًى (-an)‎; sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	دُنَا‎; دُنَى‎; دُنْيَيَات dunā‎; dunā‎; dunyayāt	الدُّنَا‎; الدُّنَى‎; الدُّنْيَيَات ad-dunā‎; ad-dunā‎; ad-dunyayāt	دُنَا‎; دُنَى‎; دُنْيَيَات dunā‎; dunā‎; dunyayāt
Nominative	دُنًا‎; دُنًى‎; دُنْيَيَاتٌ dunan‎; dunan‎; dunyayātun	الدُّنَا‎; الدُّنَى‎; الدُّنْيَيَاتُ ad-dunā‎; ad-dunā‎; ad-dunyayātu	دُنَا‎; دُنَى‎; دُنْيَيَاتُ dunā‎; dunā‎; dunyayātu
Accusative	دُنًا‎; دُنًى‎; دُنْيَيَاتٍ dunan‎; dunan‎; dunyayātin	الدُّنَا‎; الدُّنَى‎; الدُّنْيَيَاتِ ad-dunā‎; ad-dunā‎; ad-dunyayāti	دُنَا‎; دُنَى‎; دُنْيَيَاتِ dunā‎; dunā‎; dunyayāti
Genitive	دُنًا‎; دُنًى‎; دُنْيَيَاتٍ dunan‎; dunan‎; dunyayātin	الدُّنَا‎; الدُّنَى‎; الدُّنْيَيَاتِ ad-dunā‎; ad-dunā‎; ad-dunyayāti	دُنَا‎; دُنَى‎; دُنْيَيَاتِ dunā‎; dunā‎; dunyayāti

Antonyms

• آخِرة (ʔāḵira)

Derived terms

• دُنْيَوِيّ (dunyawiyy)

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: دنيا (dinya)
• Hijazi Arabic: دُنيا (dunya)
• Maltese: dinja
• Moroccan Arabic: دنيا (dunya, dinya)
• North Levantine Arabic: دني (dini), دنيي (dinyi), دنيا (dinya)
• → Classical Persian: دنیا (dunyā) (see there for further descendants)
• → Daba: dúnyà
• → Karo Batak: doni
• → Hausa: dūniyā̀
• → Indonesian: dunia
• → Javanese: ꦢꦺꦴꦚ (donya)
• → Kabyle: ddunit
• → Laki: دنیا (dinya)
• → Malay: dunia
• → Minangkabau: dunia
• → Northern Kurdish: dinya
• → Ottoman Turkish: دنیا (dunyā /⁠dünya⁠/) (see there for further descendants)
• → Sasak: dunie
• → Somali: dunida
• → Sundanese: dunya
• → Swahili: dunia
• → Tashelhit: ddunit
• → Yoruba: dúníyàn

From الدُّنْيَا (ad-dunyā):

• → Afar: addunyá
• → Oromo: addunyaa
• → Saho: udduuniya
• → Somali: addúun

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “دنو”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Bulgar

Etymology

From Arabic دُنْيَا (dunyā).

Noun

دنيا (dönyā)

1. (Volga Bulgar) world

Descendants

• Chuvash: тӗнче (tĕnč̬e)

References

• Hakimzjanov, Farid Sabirzjanovich (1986) “New Volga Bulgarian Inscriptions”, in Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae‎^[1] (in Bulgar), volume 40, number 1, page 174

Gujarati

Noun

دنيا • (dunyā) f (Lisan ud-Dawat)

1. Arabic spelling of દુનિયા (duniyā)

Maguindanao

Noun

دنيا (transliteration needed)

1. Jawi spelling of dunia

Malay

Noun

دنيا (plural دنيا-دنيا or دنيا۲, informal 1st possessive دنياکو, 2nd possessive دنيامو, 3rd possessive دنياڽ)

1. Jawi spelling of dunia‎

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic دُنْيَا (dunyā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dun.ja/, /din.ja/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

دُنيا or دِنيا • (dunya or dinya) f (plural دُنيات (dunyāt) or دِنيات (dinyāt))

1. world, earth

   Synonym: عالم (ʕālam)

   هاد الراجل هو أسرع واحد فهاد الدنيا

   hād er-rājel huwwa ʔasraʕ wāḥed f-hād ed-dunya

   This man is the fastest in the world.

2. it; things; everything; used to refer to general states and circumstances

   الدنيا مغيمة غدا ― ed-dunya mḡayyma ḡadda ― It'll be cloudy tomorrow.

   الدنيا عامرة اليوم فهاد المحال ― ed-dunya ʕāmra f-hād el-maḥāl ― This store is crowded today.

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology

Inherited from Arabic دُنْيَا (dunyā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /din.ja/, [dɪn.je]

Noun

دنيا • (dinye) f

1. world, this world
2. (by extension) society, the people
3. dummy subject for weather, seasons & time of day (used with a noun as opposed to an adjective)

   الدنيا برد

   id-dinye barid

   It’s cold

   الدنيا ليل

   ed-dinya layl

   It’s night

4. this place (used for exaggeration)

   خرّبت الدنيا!

   ḵarrebt ed-dinye!

   You made a mess! (literally, "you destroyed the world")

   الدنيا ميّ

   id-dinya mayy

   This place is wet (literally, "the world is water")

South Levantine Arabic

Root
د ن و
2 terms

Etymology

From Arabic دُنْيَا (dunyā). Equivalent to the feminine elative of أدنى (ʔadna, “lower, lowest”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /din.ja/, [ˈdɪn.ja]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Noun

دنيا • (dinya) f

1. world

   Synonym: عالم (ʕālam)

2. this world (opposed to the hereafter)

   Antonym: آخرة (ʔāḵre)

3. it (dummy subject for the weather and seasons)

Usage notes

• When describing the weather, الدنيا (id-dinya) is followed by a noun rather than an adjective.

  الدنيا شوب.

  id-dinya šōb.

  It's hot (outside).

  (literally, “The world is heat.”)

• When used with a verb الدنيا (id-dinya) is optional, but the verb remains in the 3rd person feminine singular.

  (الدنيا) عم بتشتي.

  (id-dinya) ʕam bitšatti.

  It's raining.