Swahili
irabu
ee-RAH-boo
How to say it
Swahiliirabuee-RAH-boosoon
Englishvowel signsoon
Frenchsigne vocaliquesoon
Meaning
a vowel sign or diacritical mark used in Arabic script.
Good to know
a technical term used in Quranic and Arabic-script literacy.
Examples
- Mwalimu alifundisha wanafunzi kusoma irabu za Kiarabu.The teacher taught the students to read the Arabic vowel signs.
- Bila irabu, neno la Kiarabu linaweza kusomwa vibaya.Without the vowel signs, an Arabic word can be read wrongly.
- Je, umejifunza irabu zote za msingi?Have you learned all the basic vowel signs?
- Kitabu hicho cha dini kina irabu kamili.That religious book has full vowel marking.
Not yet checked by a native speaker.