Levels of Friendship in Arabic

In Arabic, there are 12 levels of friendship. Most of our 'friends' are level 5 or below, and many of us don't have a single level 12 friend 🤯

Here are the levels:

1. Zameel – someone you have a nodding acquaintance with

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— Taariq Ismail (@TaariqIsmail) June 9, 2021

1. Zameel – someone you have a nodding acquaintance with
2. Jalees – someone you’re comfortable sitting with for a period of time
3. Sameer – you have good conversation with them
4. Nadeem – a drinking companion (just tea) that you might call when you’re free
5. Sahib – someone who’s concerned for your wellbeing
6. Rafeeq – someone you can depend upon, you’d probably go on holiday with them
7. Sadeeq – a true friend, someone who doesn’t befriend you for an ulterior motive
8. Khaleel – an intimate friend, someone whose presence makes you happy
9. Anees – someone with whom you’re really comfortable and familiar
10. Najiyy – a confidant, someone you trust deeply
11. Safiyy – your best friend, someone you’ve chosen over other friends
12. Qareen – someone who’s inseparable from you, you know how they think (and vice versa)

One interesting thing I notice is that in the Bengali language, Sahib is used as an honorific, like Sir, and I suspect that it originates from the Mughal Empire and has similar roots.