Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hamsa

/ˈhæm.sə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.00 in modern English

Syllables: ham-sa
IPA: /ˈhæm.sə/

10

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The Hand of Fatima.

Example Sentences

"Reverence for the amulets cuts across religious boundaries. Jews come for Kabbalistic bracelets, glass hamsas or strings of ceramic pomegranates."
"Variously associated with qualities ranging from warding off evil to promoting fertility, the open hand of the hamsa is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia and is recognized the world over."

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew חַמְסָה (khámsa), from Arabic خَمْسَة (ḵamsa, “five”), used among Jews of Arabic origin for the fingers on the hand.

Origin

Source language: Arabic

Word Breakdown

Root: خَمْسَة, خ م س

Inflected Forms

hamsas (plural) khamsah (alternative) khamsa (alternative) chamsa (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

nazar

Questions

How do you pronounce hamsa?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhæm.sə/.
What does hamsa mean?: The Hand of Fatima.
Where does hamsa come from?: It is traced to Arabic.

How to pronounce hamsa

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hamsa”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhæm.sə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hamsa”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hamsa” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.