Today we’re showing you how to talk about your body in Egyptian Arabic.
So you can brag about it (if you’re that sort of person), tell people what hurts or go to the doctor.
Let’s get started!
Body in Egyptian Arabic: Vocabulary
We will start with the most common vocabulary for talking about your body in Egyptian Arabic.
After that we will move on to example sentences and common questions.
Head. : ras.
.رأس
Body. : gesm.
.جسم
Upper body. : elnos el fo2ani.
.النص الفوقاني
This literally means “the upper half.”
Lower body. : elnos el ta7tani
.النص التحتاني
Similarly, this literally means “the lower half.”
Face. : wesh.
.وش
Waist. : west.
.وسط
Chest. : sedr.
.صدر
Shoulder / shoulders. : ketf / ketaf.
.كتف/كتاف
Tooth / teeth. : senna / senaan.
.سنة/ سنان
Lips. : shfayef.
.شفايف
Nose. : manakheer.
.مناخير
Eye / eyes. : 3een / 3eneen.
.عين / عينين
Want to talk about the color of somebody’s eyes?
Give our post about colors in Egyptian Arabic a read. You’ll get everything you need to know!
Eyebrows. : 7wageb.
.حواجب
Skin. : bashra.
.بشرة
Hair. : sha3r.
.شعر
We are just going to say it: talking about the body often includes some type of flirting.
Maybe it’s serious, maybe not so much.
Either way, here’s your guide to flirting in Egyptian Arabic.
Mouth. : bo2.
.بق
Neck. : ra2aba.
.رقبة
Elbow. : koo3.
.كوع
Knees. : rokab.
.ركب
Tongue. : lesan.
.لسان
Stomach. : batn.
.بطن
Arm / arms. : dera3/dera3at.
.دراع/ دراعات
Hand / hands. : eed/ edeen.
.يد/ ايدين
Feel like complimenting somebody but not directly flirting with them?
Here are 10 Egyptian Arabic compliments.
Finger / fingers. : soba3/sawabe3.
.صباع/ صوابع
Leg / legs. : regl / regleen.
.رجل/ رجلين
Foot. : 2adam.
.قدم
Toes. : sawabe3 regl.
.صوابع رجل
Here’s a good one you won’t forget: this literally means “leg fingers.”
Butt. : mo2akhera / a3da.
.مؤخرة/ قاعدة
Lastly, this literally means “bottom” or “seat.”
We’ve pointed out how to flirt about / compliment somebody’s body. If you’re getting unwanted attention, here is how to deal with sexual harassment in Egyptian Arabic.
Body in Egyptian Arabic: Example Sentences
Now that we know the main words for the body in Egyptian Arabic, here are some examples of how you might use them.
My leg hurt / hurts. : regli btwga3ni.
.رجلي بتوجعني
I broke my nose. : mankhery etkasret.
مناخيري اتكسرت
The translation in Arabic is quite a bit different than English.
When something hurts, Egyptian literally says: “This part of my body is hurting me.” When they cut / break / hurt a part of their body, they will also say: “My (body part) got broken.”
Saying something like “I broke my leg” in Egyptian Arabic would literally mean you intentionally broke it. Don’t forget this!
This is my hand. : de eedi.
.دي ايدي
I have big / small… : ana 3andi ….kbeer/soghayar(a)
.انا عندي…كبير/صغير
My ears are big. : wedani kbera.
.وداني كبيرة
Want to talk about more interesting things when meeting new people?
We sure hope so 🙂 Here is how you introduce yourself in Egyptian Arabic.
Body in Egyptian Arabic: Common Questions
Moving on to the most common questions you might ask.
How does your body feel? : 7ases be eh?
حاسس بايه؟
This is conjugated for a man. Asking a woman would be 7asesa be eh?
Here is some more information on conjugating Egyptian Arabic verbs based on gender.
Does your hand hurt? : edak wg3ak?
ايدك وجعاك؟
Do your legs hurt? : reglek wag3ak?
رجليك وجعاك؟
Do you like your…(hair)? : bt7b sha3rak?
بتحب شعرك؟
Example Conversation
Here is a small conversation at an orthopedic clinic where you get to know a little bit more about How to talk about your body in Egyptian Arabic
Orthopedic doctor: Good evening Samy, how are you? : masa2 elkheer ya samy, 3amel eh?
مساء الخير يا سامي، عامل ايه؟
Want something else to say?
Here are some more Egyptian Arabic greetings.
Samy: Good evening Doctor, elhamdulelah. : masa2 el noor ya doctor. elhamdulelah
مساء النور يا دكتور، الحمدلله
Here is some more background on the common phrase “alhamdulillah.”
Doctor: Have a seat, what exactly is your problem (what exactly are you complaining about)? : etfadal, bteshtki mn eh belzabt?
اتفضل استريح، بتشتكي من ايه بالضبط؟
Samy: My left shoulder hurts so much. I can’t move it. : kefty elshemal wag3ni awy, mesh ader a7rako.
كتفي الشمال واجعني جدا، مش قادر احركه
Doctor: What happened? : a el7asal?
ايه اللي حصل؟
Samy: I was playing ultimate frisbee and I fell down on it. : kont bal3ab ultimate frisbee w we2e3t 3aleh.
كنت بلعلب التيميت فريسبي ووقعت عليه
Doctor: Please move it this way, does it hurt? : momken t7rako elna7ya de, bywga3 keda?
ممكن تحركه الناحية دي؟ بيوجع كده؟
Samy: Yes, so much! : ah. awy!
ايوه..قوي
While complaining usually sucks….here is how to do it in Egyptian Arabic!
Doctor: Ok, relax. you will need an X-ray, take that medicine for now and come back again. : ok khlas raya7, hat7tag ashe3a, khod eldawa da dlw2ti w ta3ala tani.
اوك خلاص ريح_ هتحتاج اشعة، خد الدوا ده دلوقتي وتعالى تاني
Samy: Ok doctor. thanks a lot. see you tomorrow. : ok ya doktor, motshaker gedan, ashofak bokra.
اوك يا دكتور، متشكر جدا، اشوفك بكرة
Last but not least, how to say “thank you” in Egyptian Arabic.
Cultural Insight
From Tarek:
“Most Egyptians don’t do regular checkups. They simply go to the doctor when they are sick.
This is the opposite of some other countries where visits to the doctor / hospital are the norm even when people are perfectly healthy.”
From Eric:
I don’t know if this is true, but sounds a lot like me!
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
