A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic

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A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, commonly known as the Hans Wehr Dictionary, is a widely used Arabic–English reference for modern written Arabic. It began as a German project and was later published in English.

Publication history (short version)
- German original: Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart, published in 1952, with a supplement in 1959.
- English edition: Based on the German 1952 edition and the 1959 supplement, the Arabic–English version edited by J. Milton Cowan appeared in 1961. This edition was later revised and expanded in subsequent printings.
- The work has appeared in several major editions and remains the standard reference for many students and scholars. A newer two-volume version was released in 2019, and the German edition saw a 6th edition in 2020 with extensive updates.

Context and notable facts
- The German project was produced during the mid-20th century. Hans Wehr was a member of the Nazi Party, and the work received Nazi funding intended to translate Mein Kampf into Arabic. A Jewish scholar, Hedwig Klein, contributed to the German edition. Despite this, the dictionary’s value as a reference tool has been recognized by many users over the years.

What the dictionary is like
- Content: It focuses on modern written Arabic found in literature, newspapers, and official documents.
- Organization: Entries are arranged by Arabic roots (traditional root-based ordering). Foreign or Arabicized loanwords are listed both under their root and alphabetically.
- Within a root: Noun forms come first and are ordered roughly by length. Derived verb forms (II–X) are described, but you may need the introduction to learn the patterns.
- Usage principle: It uses a descriptive approach—only items attested in real modern usage are included.
- Transcriptions and transliteration: The dictionary provides phonetic transcriptions for the base verb forms, the imperfect and past tenses, and nouns/particles. It does not always give full conjugation tables for all derived stems. A transliteration system is used to represent sounds not easily written in Arabic script, and it includes guidance on how to represent hamzas, vowels, and certain consonants.
- Orthography and examples: Word-initial hamzas are not written in the Arabic entries or in transliteration, but medial and final hamzas are shown. Final yā’ and alif maqṣūra are both written as ى in the Arabic text, though the transliteration distinguishes them.

In short, the Hans Wehr Dictionary is a cornerstone reference for modern written Arabic, valued for its focus on real usage, root-based structure, and practical transliteration—despite the complex historical context surrounding its origin.