If you are just getting started with Egyptian Arabic, it helps to know some of the most common Egyptian Arabic words. In this post that’s exactly what we give you.
Below you will find 50 of the most common Egyptian Arabic words. We have split them into five main categories. We’ve also linked some helpful additional resources in each section.
In addition, each section begins with some useful background information.
Egyptian Arabic Words #1-10: Everyday Essentials
These are some of the most important Egyptian Arabic words you can learn. Still, you will need longer phrases to really advance in the language. Check out the “helpful resources” for some more learning material.
1) Yes. : aywa.
.أيوه
2) No. : la2.
.لأ
3) Okay / Alright. : tamam.
.تمام
4) Please. : law sama7t.
.لو سمحت
5) Thank you. : shokran.
.شكراً
6) You’re welcome. : 3afwan.
.عفواً
7) I don’t know. : ana ma3rafsh.
.أنا معرفش
8) Sorry (man) / (woman). : asf / asfa.
.آسف / آسفة
9) I don’t understand (man) / (woman). : ana mish fahm / ana mish fahma.
.أنا مش فاهم / أنا مش فاهمة
10) I understand (man) / (woman). : ana fahm / ana fahma.
.أنا فاهم / أنا فاهمة
Helpful Resources:
- 10 Ways To Say “Thank You” In Egyptian Arabic
- 25 Most Common Egyptian Arabic Phrases
- Making Mish Sandwiches
Egyptian Arabic Words #11-20: People & Pronouns
Egyptian Arabic is a language that gives gender to certain nouns. When you see “(m.)” a noun or pronoun is masculine, while “(f.)” means a noun is feminine.
This will make more sense if you check out some of the posts we link at the bottom.
11) I / Me. : ana.
.أنا
12) You (m.). : enta.
.إنت
13) You (f.). : enty.
.إنتي
14) He. : howa.
.هو
15) She. : heyya.
.هي
16) We. : e7na.
.إحنا
17) They. : homma.
.هم
18) Man (m.). : ragel.
.راجل
19) Woman (f.). : set.
.ست
20) Friend (m./f.). : sadee2 (m.) / sadee2a (f.).
.صديق / صديقة
Helpful Resources:
- Gender Of Nouns: Part 1
- Gender Of Nouns: Part 2
- How To Talk About Your Friends In Egyptian Arabic
- How To Talk About Your Family In Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic Words #21–30: Food & Drink
Below you will find just a few of the most important Egyptian Arabic words for food and drink.
Eating and drinking is a massive part of Egyptian culture, so be sure to learn these words by heart.
21) Water (f.). : maya.
.مية
22) Tea (m.). : shai.
.شاي
23) Coffee (f.). : ahwa.
.قهوة
24) Bread (m.). : 3eesh.
.عيش
25) Sugar (m.). : sokkar.
.سكر
26) Salt (m.). : mal7.
.ملح
27) Meat (f.). : la7ma.
.لحمة
28) Chicken (f.). : ferakh.
.فراخ
29) Rice (m.). : roz.
.رز
30) Vegetable (m.). : khodar.
.خضار
Helpful Resources:
- Egyptian Ahwa: How To Order At An Egyptian Cafe
- How To Order Egyptian Shawarma
- How To Navigate Your Kitchen In Egyptian Arabic: Part 1
- How To Buy Fruits And Vegetables In Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic Words #31–40: Time & Place
While Egyptians have built up a reputation for being a bit late (“Egyptian time” is a real thing), that’s no excuse to ignore vocabulary related to time.
These are all simple words – but super important!
31) Now (adv.). : delwa2ty.
.دلوقتي
32) Today (m.). : el-naharda.
.النهاردة
33) Tomorrow (m.). : bokra.
.بكرة
34) Yesterday (m.). : embara7.
.امبارح
35) Where? : fein?
فين؟
36) Here. : henna.
.هنا
37) There. : henak.
.هناك
38) When? : emta?
إمتى؟
39) Hour / Time (f.). : sa3a.
.ساعة
40) Later. : ba3deen.
.بعدين
Helpful Resources:
- How To Tell Time In Egyptian Arabic: Part 1
- How To Tell Time In Egyptian Arabic: Part 2
- Egyptian Arabic Question Words And How To Use Them
Egyptian Arabic Words #41–50: Verbs in Action
Important note about Egyptian Arabic verbs: they all get conjugated in different ways depending on the person doing them (pronoun). The verbs below are all in the infinitive, so be sure to check out the posts we’ve linked for more information on using them correctly.
41) Go. : ro7.
.روح
42) Come. : ta3ala.
.تعالى
43) Eat. : kol.
.كل
44) Drink. : eshrab.
.اشرب
45) Do / Make. : 3amel.
.عامل
46) Say / Tell. : 2oul.
.قول
47) Know. : 3aref.
.عارف
48) Want. : 3ayez (m.) / 3ayza (f.).
.عايز / عايزة
49) Love / Like. : ba7eb.
.بحب
50) See / Watch. : ashouf.
.أشوف
Helpful Resources:
- Present Tense Verbs In Egyptian Arabic (1-10)
- Present Tense Verbs In Egyptian Arabic (11-20)
- Past Tense In Egyptian Arabic
- Egyptian Arabic Future Tense
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
