“want” in Arabic dialects
verb
How do you say want across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare want (verb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “want” mean?
verb
- Feel or have a desire for; want strongly“I want to go home now”
- Have need of“This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner”
- Hunt or look for; want for a particular reason“Your former neighbor is wanted by the FBI”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (want) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | عايز | ʿāyez |
| Levantine Arabic | بدّي | biddi |
| Gulf Arabic | يبي / أبي | yibi / abi |
| Iraqi Arabic | يريد | yrīd |
| Maghrebi Arabic | بْغَى | bgha |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| عايز | ʿāyez | to want (masculine) |
| عاوز | ʿāwez | to want (masculine, alternative) |
| عايزة | ʿāyza | to want (feminine) |
| نفسي في | nefsi fi | I wish for, I really want |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| بدّي | biddi | to want (pseudo-verb, e.g. 'biddi' I want) |
| راد | rād | to want, to desire (less common in speech) |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يبي / أبي | yibi / abi | to want (Kuwait/UAE/Qatar/E. Saudi) |
| يبغى / أبغى | yibgha / abgha | to want (W. & C. Saudi) |
| ودّه | widdah | he would like to... |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يريد | yrīd | to have a desire for something |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| بْغَى | bgha | to want, to desire (Moroccan/Algerian) |
| حَبّ | ḥabb | to want, to like, to love (Algerian/Tunisian) |
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