From the Arabic root ف-ر-ح (f-r-ḥ), conveying happiness and elation. The root yields the noun فَرَح (faraḥ, "joy/happiness") and the adjective فَرِيح ("joyful"). Cognates appear across Semitic languages — Hebrew has שִׂמְחָה (simcha) for a related concept, but the Arabic root is natively robust and well-attested in Classical and Modern Standard Arabic alike.

The noun فَرَح (faraḥ) is so central to Arab culture that it is commonly used as both a given name and as the standard word for a "wedding celebration" in many dialects (e.g., Egyptian Arabic: "عندنا فرح" = "we have a wedding"). When learning this root, beware: the adjective فَارِح (fāriḥ) in some dialects can differ subtly from the MSA form فَرِح (fariḥ).