name
African
Selam
seh-LAHM
sɛˈlɑːmListen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
Selam
Sounds like
seh-LAHM
Name meaning and origin
- Origin
- Tigrinya/Amharic (Eritrea, Ethiopia) — from Ge'ez selam (peace); cognate with Arabic salaam and Hebrew shalom; also used as a greeting across the Horn of Africa
- Meaning
- peace; also used as the greeting 'hello' (peace be with you)
- Gender
- unisex
- Also spelled
- Salam
Common mispronunciations
SEH-lamseh-LAM with short 'a'
Pronunciation tips
Two syllables; stress the second. The 'lam' has a long 'ahm' sound. Selam is both a name and the everyday greeting in Tigrinya and Amharic, making it deeply embedded in daily life.
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