Common Arabic Words and Phrases

‘afwan	You are welcome (after "Thank you")
‘arusa arousa	bride
‘ahlan wa-sahlan	Welcome
‘ain ên (Egypt)	Eye
aiwa	Yes (slang cf na‘am)
es salaem ‘alekum as salâm ‘alekum	Hello (peace upon you) response wa ‘alekum es salaem
beledi baladii balady	literally native, of "my country"; more in the sense of "my homeland" or "my community". It is an emotive term used to describe things of home or a put down by urban sophisticates. Cf "baluda" to be slow witted, "balada" stupidity. Also see article on Urban Beledi Also see masmoudi sagir
bint pl: bnât pl: banât (Egypt)	girl; daughter
bint il-beled (Egypt)	"daughter of the country" - stereotyped as street wise but modest, honourable, chaste Also see article on Urban Beledi
gallibaya, gallabiya	Long shirtlike garment worn in Egypt.
habibi (m) habiba (f)	My dear, my beloved, sweetheart However, it is the masculine gender you hear in songs even though it is (usually) addressed to a woman.
hafla	party
khaliji khaleegi	of the Gulf
la	No
kamar qamar	Moon - and the name of Kashmir's dance troupe in Christchurch, New Zealand Strictly this should be transliterated qamar
maghrib maghreb	"place of the sunset" from ghrib - West. Used to describe Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco. Sometimes used to just describe Morocco. see map
maghrebi	The adjective from "maghreb" - North African or Moroccan.
miSr maSr	Egypt - or Cairo
na‘am	Yes / right on (formal cf aiwa)
nâr	Fire
qamar	Moon
raqiS raqiSa	(male) Dancer (female) Dancer
v raqqaS raqqaSa	Professional (male) Dancer Professional (female) Dancer; dancing girl; danseuse; ballerina
raqS incorrectly: raks	Dance / dancing
sa‘iid saiid	happy - nothing to do with Sa‘iid "highlands" which is spelt with a sad not a sin
Sa‘iidi Saiidi	relating to upper Egypt. From Sa‘iid "highlands" - nothing to do with Port Said! (or sa‘iid meaning "happy")
sha`b	people, folk, nation
sha`bi	popular, national. Sha`bi music - popular music (not quite the same as "pop music" - enjoyed by all ages).
shukran	Thank you (response ‘afwan)
tarboosh	tarboosh or Fez - hard cap of red felt
wa ‘alekum es salaem	And hello to you (and on you peace) response to es salaem ‘alekum
thobe pl: thiyab	garment, dress, robe, gown clothes, clothing
yalla!	Come on!
zeffa zaffa	Egyptian wedding parade. Also used for the rhythm used for the wedding dance.

Also see: Common Arabic Dance Terms

For more information on the Arabic language here is a link to a number of simple dictionaries. It also includes links to sites which explain Islamic terms.

References