“look” in Arabic dialects
verb
How do you say look across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare look (verb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “look” mean?
verb
- Perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards“She looked over the expanse of land”
- Give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect“She seems to be sleeping”
- Have a certain outward or facial expression“How does she look?”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (look) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | يبص | yibuṣṣ |
| Levantine Arabic | تْطَلَّع على | tṭallaʿ ʿala |
| Gulf Arabic | شاف | shāf |
| Iraqi Arabic | باوع | bāwaʿ |
| Maghrebi Arabic | شاف | shāf |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يبص | yibuṣṣ | to look, to direct one's gaze |
| يدوّر على | yidawwar ʿala | to look for, to search for |
| ياخد باله من | yākhud bālo min | to look after, to take care of |
| يبان | yibān | to look, seem, or appear |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| تْطَلَّع على | tṭallaʿ ʿala | to look at |
| شاف | shāf | to look at, see |
| دَوَّر على | dawwar ʿala | to look for, search for |
| بَيَّن | bayyan | to look, seem, appear |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| شاف | shāf | to see or look at |
| طالع | ṭālaʿ | to look at, to watch |
| ناظر | nāẓar | to gaze or look at |
| دوّر على | dawwar ʿala | to look for, to search for |
| بيّن | bayyan | to seem or appear |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| باوع | bāwaʿ | to look at, to direct one's gaze |
| دوّر على | dawwar ʿala | to look for, to search for |
| بيّن | bayyan | to seem, to appear (e.g. you look tired) |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| شاف | shāf | to look, to see |
| قَلَّب على | qallab ʿla | to look for, to search for |
| بان | bān | to seem, to appear |
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