“water” in Arabic dialects
noun
How do you say water across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare water (noun) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “water” mean?
noun
- Binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
- The part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean)“they invaded our territorial waters”
- Once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (water) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | مياه | mayya |
| Levantine Arabic | مي | mayy |
| Gulf Arabic | ماي | māy |
| Iraqi Arabic | مي | mai |
| Maghrebi Arabic | ما | ma |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| مياه | mayya | the clear liquid for drinking, washing, etc. |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| مي | mayy | water |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| ماي | māy | the liquid H2O (colloquial) |
| مويه | mōya | the liquid H2O (colloquial, mainly Saudi) |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| مي | mai | the liquid H2O |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| ما | ma | water |
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