Family vocabulary is central to Arabic, beginning with the most immediate kin. 'Father' is ab (أب) or al-ab, and 'mother' is umm (أم) or al-umm. Together they form 'ab wa umm', meaning parents. 'Brother' is akh (أخ), with the respectful plural ikhwa (إخوة), while 'sister' is ukht (أخت), plural akhawaat (أخوات). 'Son' is ibn (ابن) or walad (وَلَد) in everyday speech, and 'daughter' is bint (بنت) or ibna (ابنة). The word for 'boy' is walad (وَلَد), plural awlad (أَوْلَاد), and 'child' in general is tifl (طِفْل).
Extended family terms distinguish between paternal and maternal sides. The paternal grandfather is jadd (جدّ), and the maternal grandfather is specified as jadd ummi (جد أمي) when clarity is needed. The paternal uncle is 'amm (عمّ), while the maternal uncle is khaal (خال), and these two terms are important in inheritance and family structures. 'Family' itself can be expressed as usra (أسرة) or 'a'ila' (عائلة), with usra sometimes implying the extended family.
Beyond kin, Arabic has many common nouns for people. 'Friend' (masculine) is sadeeq (صديق), with the feminine sadeeqa (صديقة) and plural asdiqa (أصدقاء). 'Doctor' is tabeeb (طبيب) or tabeeba (طبيبة), 'teacher' (male) is mu'allim (معلم) or mu'allima for the feminine, and 'student' (male) is talib (طالب), with taliba (طالبة) as the feminine and tullab (طلاب) as the plural. These words form the core vocabulary needed for introductions, conversations, and professional encounters.