The official dictionary of Albanian has around 50.000 words, Albanian is a very rich language with at least 200.000 words. It’s just that during the communist regime they tried to create a more pure form of Albanian based on the Tosk dialect (spoken by the communist leader of Albania) and thus Albanian was very impoverished and “cleaned” from oriental and occidental forms. In the Gheg regions of Northern Albania and Kosovo where such madness had less influence a very rich linguistic environment exist where there are even up to 10 words of different origins for the same object. Still in the latter years due to more and more importance given on the Standard Albanian the other dialects are suffering and the new generation tend to abandon this rich heritage.
Following is a list of common words between Arabic and Albanian, we tried to take in consideration the existing similarities in the Balkan like Bosnian that have circulated through Turkish or formally the Ottoman Language.
Other than the basic words like Allah and Islam or greetings like “selam alejkum” and the other common Islamic expressions or the proper nouns like Enver (أنور / luminous) or Arif.
| Albanian | Arabic | Additional Information |
| xhehenem, xhehnem, xhenem | جهنم | |
| xhenet (heaven, paradise) | جنة | |
| imam | إمام | |
| sahat | ساعة | |
| taman (OK) | (complete) تمام | |
| Rahmet | رَحْمَة | |
| nejse | نَجِس | |
| ilaç (medicine, medication) | عِلَاج | |
| Baba | بابا | |
| nafaka | نفقة | |
| hendek (ditch) | خَنْدَق (ḵandaq) | |
| fustan | فُسْتان | Originally from Greek φουσταν(foustan, “dress”) |
| haps (prison) | حَبْس | |
| haram | حَرام | |
| hallet/hallat (tools instruments) | آلة | |
| sakat (disabled) | سَقَطَ to fall | |
| haber (news) | خَبَر | |
| Divan | ديوان | |
| Kurban | قربان | |
| Katil | قاتل | |
| Minare | مَنارَة | |
| Aman | أمان | |
| Ibrik | إِبْريق | |
| kalem (pen) | قَلَم | |
| Çaj (tea) | شاي | |
| furn (stove) | فُرْن | |
| karrika (chair) | أريكَة | |
| zarf (envelope) | ظَرْف (envelope) | |
| filxhan (cup) | فِنْجَان | Persian |
| fall (prophecy) | فال (presage) | |
| akrep | عَقْرَب | |
| beqar (bachelor, an single or unmarried man) |
بِكْر (“virgin”, “elder son”) | |
| duhan (“tobacco”) | دُخّان smoke, tobacco, cigarette | |
| kafaz (cage, animals’ pen) | قَفَص | |
| dyqan (“shop”) | دُكَّان (dukkān) | |
| bakall (“grocer”) | بَقّال | |
| sofër | سُفْرَة (sufra) | Originally from Arabic. In the Ottoman and Turkish worlds, a yer sofrası is traditionally a low table or tray used as a dining table. In modern Turkish language sofra means a table prepared or set for eating a meal. |
| Çorap (socks) | جَورَب | |
| Shërbet (sugar water) | شَرْبَة (šarba) | |
| Çorba | شُرْبَة | |
| Bostan | بُسْتان | |
| fasule | فاصولْياء | |
| bizele | بَزِلاء | |
| portokall (Orange) | بُرْتُقال | Portugal |
| kala (castle, fortress) | (qalʿa) قَلْعَة | |
| synet (circumcision) | سُنَّة (sunna) prophetic tradition | |
| kandar (kandar) | قِنْطَار (qinṭār) measurement unit |
|
| kusur (money change) | كُسُور (kusūr) | |
| kurbet (immigration, emigration, exile) | غُرْبة (gurbet) | |
| majmun (monkey) | مَيْمُون (maymūn) | |
| misër (maize), | ? | was Egypt known for corns ? |
| qafë (neck) | قَفَاء (qafāʾ, “head”) | |
| qafir (disbeliever) | كَافِر (kāfir, “denier, concealer”) | |
| takat (force, energy) | طَاقَة (ṭāqa) | |
| vakt (time, mealtime) | وَقْت (waqt) | |
| raki (a local anise-flavored liqueur) | from Arabic عَرَقِيّ (ʿaraqiyy, “of liquor”), from عَرَق (ʿaraq, “arrack, arak”, literally “condensate”), which refers to an ouzo-like liqueur made of raisins. | |
| adet (custom, habit) | عَادَة (ʿāda) | |
| xeheror (ore, mineral) Arabic | جَوْهَر (jawhar) | related to the given name Xhevahir fromجَوَاهِر (jawāhir) “jewel”, “diamond”, “precious stone(s)”, “gem” & “pearl”. |
| xhami (mosque) | جَامِع (jāmiʿ) | |
| xhep (pocket) | جَيْب (jayb, “pocket”) | |
| alkool (alcohol) | اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl, “kohl”) | |
| bajat (stale) | بَائِت (bāʾit, “stale”) | Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بایات (bayat), from Arabic بَائِت (bāʾit, “stale”). |
Arabic Box 