نحو

نحو

See also: نجو‎

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the root ن ح و‎ (n-ḥ-w). The "grammar" sense, according to a report, is derived from ʿAlī telling ʾAbu al-ʾAswad ad-Duʾali, who is believed to be the first Arabic grammarian: «مَا أَحْسَنَ هٰذَا النَّحْوَ الَّذِي نَحَوْتَ»‎ (“mā ʾaḥsana hāḏā n-naḥwa allaḏī naḥawta”, “How wonderful this direction (naḥw) that you have followed is”)[1] after he showed ʿAlī the grammar he had organized.

Noun

نَحْو • (naḥw) m (plural نُحُوّ (nuḥuww) or أَنْحَاء‎ (ʾanḥāʾ))

1. side, direction
2. region, tract
3. road
4. intention, purpose, tendency
5. kind, sort, manner
6. (linguistics, grammar) syntax, grammar
   • Ibn Malik, Alfiyyah

     ‏وَأَسْتَعِينُ اللَّٰهَ فِي أَلْفِيَّةْ / مَقَاصِدُ النَّحْوِ بِهَا مَحْوِيَّةْ‎

     waʾastaʿīnu llāha fī ʾalfiyyah / maqāṣidu n-naḥwi bihā maḥwiyyah

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Declension

Declension of noun نَحْو (naḥw)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَحْو naḥw	النَّحْو‎ an-naḥw	نَحْو naḥw
Nominative	نَحْوٌ naḥwun	النَّحْوُ‎ an-naḥwu	نَحْوُ naḥwu
Accusative	نَحْوًا‎ naḥwan	النَّحْوَ‎ an-naḥwa	نَحْوَ naḥwa
Genitive	نَحْوٍ naḥwin	النَّحْوِ‎ an-naḥwi	نَحْوِ naḥwi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نَحْوَيْن‎ naḥwayn	النَّحْوَيْن‎ an-naḥwayn	نَحْوَيْ‎ naḥway
Nominative	نَحْوَانِ‎ naḥwāni	النَّحْوَانِ‎ an-naḥwāni	نَحْوَا‎ naḥwā
Accusative	نَحْوَيْنِ‎ naḥwayni	النَّحْوَيْنِ‎ an-naḥwayni	نَحْوَيْ‎ naḥway
Genitive	نَحْوَيْنِ‎ naḥwayni	النَّحْوَيْنِ‎ an-naḥwayni	نَحْوَيْ‎ naḥway
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	نُحُوّ‎; أَنْحَاء‎ nuḥuww‎; ʾanḥāʾ	النُّحُوّ‎‎; الْأَنْحَاء‎ an-nuḥuww‎; al-ʾanḥāʾ	نُحُوّ‎; أَنْحَاء‎ nuḥuww‎; ʾanḥāʾ
Nominative	نُحُوٌّ‎; أَنْحَاءٌ‎ nuḥuwwun‎; ʾanḥāʾun	النُّحُوُّ‎‎; الْأَنْحَاءُ‎ an-nuḥuwwu‎; al-ʾanḥāʾu	نُحُوُّ‎; أَنْحَاءُ‎ nuḥuwwu‎; ʾanḥāʾu
Accusative	نُحُوًّا‎‎; أَنْحَاءً‎ nuḥuwwan‎; ʾanḥāʾan	النُّحُوَّ‎‎; الْأَنْحَاءَ‎ an-nuḥuwwa‎; al-ʾanḥāʾa	نُحُوَّ‎; أَنْحَاءَ‎ nuḥuwwa‎; ʾanḥāʾa
Genitive	نُحُوٍّ‎; أَنْحَاءٍ‎ nuḥuwwin‎; ʾanḥāʾin	النُّحُوِّ‎‎; الْأَنْحَاءِ‎ an-nuḥuwwi‎; al-ʾanḥāʾi	نُحُوِّ‎; أَنْحَاءِ‎ nuḥuwwi‎; ʾanḥāʾi

References

1. سير أعلام النبلاء, Volume 4, Page 82

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884), “نحو”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎, London: W.H. Allen

Preposition

نَحْوَ • (naḥwa)

1. towards, in the direction of, after, in accordance with
2. like, like as, as for instance, such as, for example
3. about

Inflection

Inflected forms
Base form					نَحْوَ (naḥwa)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Dual	Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Common	Masculine	Feminine
First person	نَحْوِي‎ (naḥwī)			نَحْوَنَا‎ (naḥwanā)
Second person	نَحْوَكَ‎ (naḥwaka)	نَحْوَكِ‎ (naḥwaki)	نَحْوَكُمَا‎ (naḥwakumā)	نَحْوَكُمْ‎ (naḥwakum)	نَحْوَكُنَّ‎ (naḥwakunna)
Third person	نَحْوَهُ‎ (naḥwahu)	نَحْوَهَا‎ (naḥwahā)	نَحْوَهُمَا‎ (naḥwahumā)	نَحْوَهُمْ‎ (naḥwahum)	نَحْوَهُنَّ‎ (naḥwahunna)

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884), “نحو”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎, London: W.H. Allen

Noun

نُحُوّ • (nuḥuww) m pl

1. plural of نَحْو (naḥw)

Verb

نَحْوِ • (naḥwi) (form I)

1. first-person plural non-past active jussive of حَوَى‎ (ḥawā)

Verb

نُحْوَ • (nuḥwa) (form I)

1. first-person plural non-past passive jussive of حَوَى‎ (ḥawā)

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Malay

Noun

نحو

1. Jawi spelling of nahu

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Persian

Etymology

From Arabic نَحْو‎ (naḥw).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian): IPA^(key): /nahw/

• (Dari): IPA^(key): /nahw/

• (Iranian Persian): IPA^(key): /næhv/
• (Tajik): IPA^(key): /nahv/

Noun

نحو • (nahv)

1. syntax
2. grammar
3. manner, mode, way