كُحُول
kuḥūlmasculine
The English word alcohol is translated into Arabic as كُحُول (kuḥūl). Wiktionary also lists مَشْرُوب كُحُولِيّ (mašrūb kuḥūliyy) and مَشْرُوب رُوحِيّ (mašrūb rūḥiyy).
Meaning: intoxicating beverage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كُحُول | kuḥūl | masculine |
| مَشْرُوب كُحُولِيّ | mašrūb kuḥūliyy | masculine |
| مَشْرُوب رُوحِيّ | mašrūb rūḥiyy | masculine |
The term كُحُول refers to the substance itself. You may use the adjective كُحُولِيّ to describe things related to alcohol. If you need to specify that a drink contains alcohol, such as on a menu or a label, use the phrase مَشْرُوب كُحُولِيّ.
Which one should you use?
كُحُول refers to the substance itself, whereas مَشْرُوب كُحُولِيّ refers to a specific alcoholic beverage.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the term البِيرَة is used to refer to beer.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form كُحُول is a masculine noun. The form كُحُولِيّ is an adjective derived from كُحُول.
How do you pronounce it?
kuḥūl
Did you know?
- The word كُحُول originally referred to 'kohl', the ancient eye cosmetic made from antimony. It was renamed for alcohol because both substances were produced through a process of sublimation.
- The phrase مَشْرُوب رُوحِيّ literally translates to 'spiritual drink'. It is used as a euphemism for alcohol to avoid the negative connotations associated with the word كُحُول.
- In some social contexts, people use the word مُحَرَّمَات to refer to alcohol. This word actually means 'forbidden things' and describes the substance by its legal or moral status rather than its physical properties.
Examples in context
- هل لديك أي شراب مسكر؟Do you have any alcoholic drinks?
Example conversation
Layla and Omar are looking at a menu at a restaurant.
- ليلى Laylaيا عمر، هل تطلب مشروباً يحتوي على كُحُول؟Ya Omar, hal tatlub mashruban yahtawi 'ala kuhul?Omar, are you ordering a drink that contains alcohol?
- عمر Omarلا، أنا أفضل العصير الطبيعي فقط.La, ana ufaddil al-asir al-tabi'i faqat.No, I prefer natural juice only.
- ليلى Laylaجيد، لأنني لا أشرب الكُحُول أبداً.Jayyid, li'annani la ashrab al-kuhul abadan.Good, because I never drink alcohol.
- عمر Omarأنا أيضاً، لنطلب عصير البرتقال.Ana aydan, linatlub asir al-burtuqal.Me too, let's order orange juice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “alcohol” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
