How can my child learn Arabic words for right, left and other directions?

Question

Bloomtivo Academy · Accepted Answer

Start with six: يَمِين (right), يَسَار (left), أَمَام (in front), خَلْف (behind), فَوْق (above) and تَحْت (below). Then the compass: شَمَال (north), جَنُوب (south), شَرْق (east), غَرْب (west). Practise with Sunnah habits: “Eat with your يَمِين”, “Enter the masjid with your right foot”, and find the qiblah, roughly south-east from the UK. Direction words are easy to practise because children move every day, and Islam has many “right-hand” Sunnahs.Six everyday directionsArabicSay itEnglishيَمِينyaminrightيَسَارyasarleftأَمَامamamin frontخَلْفkhalfbehindفَوْقfawqaboveتَحْتtahtbelowCompass directionsشَمَال (shamal): northجَنُوب (janub): southشَرْق (sharq): eastغَرْب (gharb): westSunnah practiceEat and drink with the يَمِين.Enter the masjid with the right foot; leave with the left.Put on the right shoe first.The qiblahFrom the UK, the qiblah is roughly south-east. Use a compass app together and say: “The qiblah is جَنُوب شَرْق.” See why we pray towards Makkah.Games“Simon says” with directions: يَمِين! يَسَار!Hide a toy and give directions in Arabic to find it.Teacher’s tip: in the Quran, the “people of the right” (أَصْحَابُ الْيَمِين) are the people of Paradise. Children love learning that “right” has such a special meaning.Related: In, on, under.

Arabic	Say it	English
يَمِين	yamin	right
يَسَار	yasar	left
أَمَام	amam	in front
خَلْف	khalf	behind
فَوْق	fawq	above
تَحْت	taht	below

How can my child learn Arabic words for right, left and other directions?

Six everyday directions

Compass directions

Sunnah practice

The qiblah

Games

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