How to get a haircut in Egyptian Arabic
Today we are talking about how to get a haircut in Egyptian Arabic…at a barbershop.
This will typically apply to men only. We will be sure to do a post in the future about going to a hairdresser as a woman, because the vocab will usually be somewhat different.
For now, we hope you enjoy.
Let’s get started.
As usual, we will start with the most important vocab you need to kn0w for a haircut in Egyptian Arabic.
Haircut. : 7al2a/2assa.
.حلقة \ قصة
Hair. : sha3r.
.شعر
Style. : 2assa
.قصة
Beard. : da2n.
.دقن
Barber. : 7alla2.
.حلاق
Barber shop. : 7alla2.
حلاق
Brush. : forsha.
.فرشة
Mustache. : shanab.
.شنب
Scissors. : ma2as.
.مقص
Electric razor. : makana.
.مكنة
Razor. : moos.
.موس
While these are specific words you likely don’t use so often, the post on your body in Egyptian Arabic might help at the barbershop.
Let’s move onto example sentences.
I want it to look like this picture. : 3ayzo zai elsora de.
.عايزه زي الصورة دي
This is maybe the most important phrase in this post.
The fact is, talking about the precise haircut you want and explaining which “barbershop tools” they should use can be hard. These are probably words you never normally use, and even the smallest mistake can result in something you don’t want.
Thankfully, a picture is worth a thousand words.
I want a / fade / long on top, short on the sides. : 3ayz tadreeg / tawel mn fo2 w 2osayr mn elgamb.
.عايز تدريج- طويل من فوق وقصير من الجمب
That is short enough. : keda 2osayar kefaya.
كده قصير كفاية؟
This is also a good one. You can always go shorter, but you can’t go longer once it’s already been cut, though!
Just do whatever you want. : 2oso zai manta 3ayz.
.قصة زي مانت عايز
Zai manta 3ayz (“whatever you want”) is a great phrase to learn here.
Whether or not you want to say it when it comes to your haircut is a different story!
Hair and beard please. : sha3r w da2n law sama7t.
.شعر ودقن لو سمحت
Just trim the beard. : zabat el da2n bas.
.ضبط الدقن بس
Time for questions. This section is quite important, as getting the haircut you want will usually involve a certain amount of questions.
We’ve divided part into two section: questions you might need to ask, and question you need to answer (but first understand).
Do I wait here? : astana hena?
استنى هنا؟
How long should I wait? : hastana ad eh?
هستنى قد ايه؟
The post on the Egyptian Arabic future tense explains what the letter ه (first letter of هستنى) is doing here.
How much is a haircut? : bkam 2as elsha3r?
بكام قص الشعر؟
price
Can you show me what you want to do? : momken twareni 3ayz te3ml eh?
ممكن توريني عايز تعمل ايه؟
moomkin
Do you understand me? : fahmni?
فاهمني؟
With scissors or electric razor? : belma2as wala bel makana?
بالمقص ولا بالمكنة؟
Can you please use a new clean razor (Lit. razor new clean)? : momken testakhdem moos gdeed ndeef?
ممكن تستخدم موس جديد نضيف؟
Probably not necessary to ask, as they will use one anyway.
Can you please do a little shorter? : momken ta2sar shwya kaman law sam7t?
ممكن تقصر شوية كمان لو سمحت؟
Which style do you want? : 3ayz t2oso ezai?
عايز تقصه ازاي؟
How long? : tolo ad eh?
طوله قد ايه؟
Do you have a picture? : ma3ak sora?
معاك صورة؟
Check out the two forms of “have” in Egyptian Arabic.
Do you want a shave too? : 3ayz te7la2 da2nak bardo?
عايز تحلق دقنك برضه؟
Do you want to comb it to the back or to the side? : 3ayz tsra7o lwara wala lel gamb?
عايز تسرحة لورا ولا للجمب؟
The word side (el gamb) is also commonly used when you are getting a taxi in Egyptian Arabic.
Here is an example conversation you can learn from. While your results will vary, this is typically what an entire conversation at the barbershop will sound like.
Foreigner: Hello. : salamo 3aleko.
.سلام عليكم
This is a pretty standard greeting in any situation. That said, here is how to greet people in Egyptian Arabic for more background.
Barber: Hello, Please come in. : w 3alekom elsalam, etfadal.
.وعليكم السلام اتفضل
Foreigner: I want a haircut. : 3ayz a7la2 sha3ri.
.عايز اقص شعري
Barber: Please sit down sir, you are next. : etfadal estrya7 ya basha, enta el gai.
.اتفضل استريح يا باشا، انت اللي جي
…
Barber: Ok. : ok tamam.
.اوك تمام
Barber: How much should I trim? : a2asar ad eh?
اقصر قد ايه؟
Foreigner: I don’t know, make it shorter, but long enough to comb. : mesh 3aref, khalea 2asar bas ba’a taweel kifeya eno astra7 l wara.
.مش عارف خليه اقصر بس يبقى طويل كفايه انه يتسرح لورا
Here are 10 Egyptian Arabic compliments in case the barber uses one of them for your awesome new haircut!
…
Foreigner: Thanks, good job, it looks good. : shokran, alah ynwar, shaklo helw.
.شكرا. الله ينور- شكله حلو
Barber: You’re welcome sir. : el3afw ya basha.
.العفو يا باشا
Foreigner: How much? : kam keda?
كام كده؟
Barber: 50 Egyptian pounds. : Khamseen gneh.
.خمسين جنيه
While you typically have pretty set prices at a barber ship, here’s how to bargain in Egyptian Arabic in case you want to try for a cheaper deal!
Getting a haircut can be a totally different experience depends on the barber shop and the neighborhood.
The quality varies, and the price might vary from 20 EGP to 200 EGP., with the average being around 50.
Barbers in Egypt are famous for being super talkative. In fact, Egyptians have a saying for that: “the Barber ate my ears” (el7alla2 kal wedani). This means they kept talking non stop while giving you a haircut.
That might be because they spend most of their days listening to lots of stories everyday, so they get to know what is happening around them in the neighborhood. Kind of like your Egyptian Bawab!
Here are some videos you might find interesting:
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Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
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