Arabic is an Afro-Asiatic language. It evolved over centuries on the Arabian peninsula, but is now natively spoken in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Arabic are Hebrew, Tigrigna, Amharic, Tashelhit, and Kabylian.
- Hebrew (73.9)
Arabic and Hebrew both belong to the Semitic language family. Hebrew is most commonly spoken in Israel, but Israel is surrounded by Arabic speaking countries. As a result, they have significant lexical similarities due to their shared cultural and historical interactions. - Tigrigna (61.6)
Eritrea is located across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia. One of the most commonly spoken languages there, Tigrigna is widespread in some parts of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Phonological similarities exist between Tigrigna and Arabic, including shared consonant sounds and vowel systems. - Amharic (47.4)
In Ethiopia, Amharic is predominantly spoken, where it is the official language alongside other regional languages. The country borders both Eritrea and Sudan, two countries where Semitic languages are commonplace. There are still many lexical similarities between Arabic and Amharic. - Tashelhit (32.0)
As a Berber language within the Afro-Asiatic family, Tashelhit shares some linguistic features with Arabic, influenced by historical interactions and geographic proximity. It is primarily spoken in Morocco. Arabic has historically been a prestigious language in the region due to its association with Islam and governance. - Kabylian (31.8)
Like Tashelhit, Kabylian is another Berber language within the Afro-Asiatic family. It is primarily spoken in Algeria. Kabyle-speaking populations and Arabic-speaking populations have had historical interactions in North Africa. This includes trade, migration, and cultural exchange, which have facilitated linguistic borrowing.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people, as a result Maltese did not make the list, despite being the most similar)
