“left” in Arabic dialects
adjective
How do you say left across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare left (adjective) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “left” mean?
adjective
- Being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north“my left hand”
- Not used up“leftover meatloaf”
- Intended for the left hand“I rarely lose a left-hand glove”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (left) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | شِمَال | shimāl |
| Levantine Arabic | بَاقِي | bāʾi |
| Gulf Arabic | يَسَار | yasār |
| Iraqi Arabic | أيسر/يسرى | aysar/yisra |
| Maghrebi Arabic | لِيسْرِي | līsri |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| شِمَال | shimāl | on or towards the left side |
| بَاقِي | bāʾi | remaining, left over |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| بَاقِي | bāʾi | left, remaining (Lebanon/Syria) |
| ضَايِل | ḍāyel | left, remaining (Palestine/Jordan) |
| شْمَال | shmāl | left (direction) |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يَسَار | yasār | on or towards the left side |
| بَاقِي | bāgi | remaining, left over |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| أيسر/يسرى | aysar/yisra | on or towards the left side |
| باقي | bāqi | remaining, leftover |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| لِيسْرِي | līsri | related to the left side |
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