# Any Arabic-speaking Dopers out there? Need a word spelling **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111 "2007-03-08T15:39:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/1 "2007-03-08T15:39:28Z")
A friend of mine is trying to find the accepted spelling of the Arabic word for “alchemy.” So far he’s come up with: Al-Khimia Al-Kimiya Al-Kimia Al-Khemia Are any of those correct? If not, what’s the generally accepted spelling? Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/2 "2007-03-08T15:51:08Z")
None of them are truly correct, as Arabic is written with the Arabic alphabet. Edit: Ok, I don’t have my Arabic dictionary with me, and I’m seeing dueling spellings for the word. Does anybody else know if the first letter is a khaa or a kaaf? There’s no official transliteration scheme for Arabic, but as long as you are able to differentiate between letters that are distinct in Arabic but sound similar to English speakers, you should be alright. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/3 "2007-03-08T16:15:59Z")
From wikipeida: > [@](#): > > In the history of science, alchemy (Arabic: الخيمياء, al-khimia) > [@](#): > > Etymology > > The word chemistry comes from the earlier study of alchemy, which is basically the quest to make gold from earthen starting materials. As to the origin of the word “alchemy” the question is a debatable one, it certainly has Greek origins, and some, following E. Wallis Budge, have also asserted Egyptian origins. Alchemy, generally, derives from the old French alkemie; and the Arabic al-kimia: “the art of transformation.” ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/4 "2007-03-08T16:35:16Z")
> [@](#): > > From wikipeida: I saw that, but then again in “List of Arabic loanwords in English” it spelled the word "الكيمياء ". ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/5 "2007-03-08T18:15:03Z")
> [@yBeayf](#): > > I saw that, but then again in “List of Arabic loanwords in English” it spelled the word "??? ". That’s the spelling that Wehr and Cowan’s Arabic dictionary has for it: kaaf, not khaa. > [@yBeayf](#): > > There’s no official transliteration scheme for Arabic There’s no unique “official” scheme, but there are several recognized standard schemes. In the [ALA-LC Arabic romanization system](http://www.ontopia.net/i18n/transxion.jsp?id=4266), which is probably the most commonly used strict transliteration system, "??? " would be represented with the characters “a”, “l”, hyphen, “k”, “i” with a macron, “m”, “i”, “y”, “a” with a macron, apostrophe. [Edit: Hmm, how do I get **yBeayf** ’s Arabic properly reproduced in a quote?] ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/6 "2007-03-08T20:06:10Z")
[QUOTE=yBeayf] I saw that, but then again in “List of Arabic loanwords in English” it spelled the word "الكيمياء ". [/QUOTE] The first one is probably right, given this from the [dictionary](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alchemy): > [@](#): > > [Origin: 1325–1375; earlier alchimie \< OF alquemie \< ML alchymia \< Ar al the + kīmiyā’ \< Gk kémeía transmutation; r. ME alconomye, equiv. to alk(imie) + (astr)onomye ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/7 "2007-03-08T21:33:14Z")
> [@](#): > > The first one is probably right, given this from the dictionary: That would indicate the second one is right, i.e. that it’s spelled with kaaf instead of khaa, as is confirmed by Wehr per **Kimstu**. Someone should correct the Wikipedia article on Alchemy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/8 "2007-03-08T23:21:52Z")
[QUOTE=yBeayf] That would indicate the second one is right… [/QUOTE] :smack: Yes, that’s right. I always have trouble with big numbers, like “2”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/9 "2007-03-09T02:39:11Z")
Thanks, everybody! So let me just make sure I’ve got it right–the second one (al-kimiya) is the closest? ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-arabic-speaking-dopers-out-there-need-a-word-spelling/395111/10 "2007-03-09T03:04:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Thanks, everybody! So let me just make sure I’ve got it right–the second one (al-kimiya) is the closest? Of the ones you listed, yes.