# مرحبا
## Arabic

* This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

### Etymology

Related to the verb رَحِبَ (raḥiba, “to be wide”). (The verb رَحَّبَ (raḥḥaba, “to make welcome, to receive graciously”) is derived from this term.)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mar.ħa.ban/, (pausa) /mar.ħa.baː/

### Interjection

مَرْحَبًا • (marḥaban)
* hello, welcome

#### Descendants

* Maltese: merħba
* Moroccan Arabic: مرحبا (marḥba)
* → Afar: marcabá
* → Northern Kurdish: merheba
* → Ottoman Turkish: مرحبا, մէրհապա (merhaba), մէրհապէն (merhaben) — Armeno-Turkish
** Turkish: merhaba
** → Bulgarian: мерхаба́ (merhabá), ме́рхаба (mérhaba), мараба́ (marabá)
** → Macedonian: мерхаба (merhaba)
** → Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic script: ме̏рха̄ба
    Latin script: mȅrhāba
** Turkish: merhaba
* → Classical Persian: مَرْحَبَا (marhabā), مَرْحَبًا (marhaban)
** Tajik: марҳабо (marhabo) (rare, archaic)
** → Hindustani:
*** Hindi: मरहबा (marhabā)
*** Urdu: مَرْحَبَا (marhabā)
** → Bengali: মরহাবা (môrhaba)
** → Pashto: مرحبا (marḥabā)
** → Punjabi:
*** Gurmukhi script: ਮਰਹਬਾ (marhabā)
*** Shahmukhi script: مرحبا (marḥabā)
* → Swahili: marahaba
* → Tigrinya: መርሓባ (märḥaba)
* → Zazaki: merheba

## Hijazi Arabic

* This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

### Etymology

From Arabic مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mar.ħa.ba/

### Interjection

مرحبا • (marḥaba)
* welcome
* hello

#### Inflection
## Moroccan Arabic

* This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

### Etymology

From Arabic مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /marħba/

### Interjection

مرحبا • (marḥba)
* welcome

## Ottoman Turkish
### Alternative forms

* մէրհապա (merhaba), մէրհապէն (merhaben) — Armeno-Turkish

### Etymology

From Arabic مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban).

### Interjection

مرحباً • (merhaba)
* hello, welcome

#### Descendants

* Turkish: merhaba
* → Bulgarian: мерхаба́ (merhabá), ме́рхаба (mérhaba), мараба́ (marabá)
* → Macedonian: мерхаба (merhaba)
* → Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic script: ме̏рха̄ба
    Latin script: mȅrhāba

### Further reading

* Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “merhaba”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3151b
* Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962) “merhabâ”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎‎ (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 741b
* Karapetean, Petros Zēkʻi (1912) “مرحبا”, in Mec baṙaran ōsmanerēnē hayerēn [Great Ottoman–Armenian Dictionary], Constantinople: Aršak Karōean, page 781a
* Kélékian, Diran (1911) “مرحبا”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎, Constantinople: Mihran, page 1147b
* Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “merhaba”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
* Pōzačean, Yakovbos (1841) “մէրհապա”, in Hamaṙōt baṙaran i tačkakanē i hay [Concise Ottoman–Armenian Dictionary]‎, Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, page 568b
* Redhouse, James W. (1890) “مرحبا”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎, Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1807a
* Şemseddin Sâmi (1899–1901) قاموس تركی [kamus-ı türki]‎ (in Ottoman Turkish), Constantinople: İkdam Matbaası

## Persian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Persian) IPA: [maɾ.ha.ˈβɑː]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mäɾ.hä.bɑ́ː]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [mäɾ.hä.bɑ́ː]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [mä.ɾä.bɑ́ː]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [mä.ɾä.bɔ́ː]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [mæɹ.hæ.bɒ́ː]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [mäɾ.hä.bɔ́]

### Interjection

مرحبا • (marhabâ)
* bravo, good job
    Synonyms: آفرین (âfarin), بارک الله (bârek allâh), ماشا الله (mâšâllâh)
* (archaic) hello, welcome
** c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 186:سلیمی را برآمد جان پی یک مرحبا وز ناز نکرد آن سنگدل با دردمندان مرحبا هرگزsalīmī rā bar-āmad jān pa-yi yak marhabā w-az nāz na-kard ān sangdil bā dardmandān marhabā hargizSelim's soul came forth for the sake of a single hello, and out of coquettishness That hard-hearted one never said a hello to those in pain [out of unrequited love for her].(Classical Persian transliteration)

### Further reading

* Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “مرحبا”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim

## South Levantine Arabic

* This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

### Etymology

From Arabic مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mar.ħa.ba/, [ˈmɑr.ħɑ.bɑ]
* Audio (Ramallah):(file)

### Interjection

مرحبا • (marḥaba)
* hello
    Synonym: (informal) هلا (hala)

#### Usage notes

* People usually respond to مرحبا (marḥaba) with its dual or plural form:
** مرحبتين (marḥabtēn, literally “two hellos”)
** مراحب (marāḥeb, literally “many hellos”)

#### See also

* أهلا (ʔahla, “welcome”), أهلا وسهلا (ʔahla w-sahla, “welcome”)