Okay, let’s begin our session! Being Internet-savvy Indonesians, I believe that many of you have heard the word ‘hijaber’ before.

Internet-savvy = Jago/terbiasa menggunakan Internet 

‘Hijaber’ is often used in Indonesia-based online forum/blog to describe a girl with an Islamic head scarf/veil. 

But is it really the proper English term to describe ‘a girl with hijab’? 

Introducing our #WOTD: HIJABI. 

Based on Arabic ‘hijab’ (screen, curtain), Urban Dictionary describes it as “girl/woman who wears Islamic head-covering respectfully”

The word has been adsorbed into English, and is commonly used among Muslim communities in the West.

Yes, because in English, we don’t always end a word with “-er” to describe what a person do.

Here are examples on how to use the word: 

 “Have you met Fatima? She is the Hijabi with the orange dress.” 

 “You have been single for too long. I’ll introduce to this nice Hijabi girl I know.”

 I did a little experiment. I tried to Google ‘hijaber’ and the top answers mostly come from Indonesia. 

But when I Google “hijabi”, the top answers were the Urban Dictionary and some pages from English-speaking countries like US or UK. 

Like this funny article from Buzzfeed: http://t.co/80ElkRbQHz 

Also this American hijabi fashion blogger: http://t.co/5I80FRucOQ 

And this British documentary film “Hip-Hop Hijabis” produced by Al-Jazeera Network. 



There is also ‘niqabi’, “a woman who wears a niqab (full-face covering veil)”. (Image: http://t.co/qLNIP0tOMK) 



Source: Urban Dictionary, Buzzfeed, Al-Jazeera Network

Compiled by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, 15 March 2015.