حي
hayy
The Arabic word for 'alive' is حي (hayy).
حي means 'having life'. In many contexts, it can also mean 'living' in a more general or philosophical sense, such as 'a living person'.
Meaning: having life (adj)
Which one should you use?
The word حي is used for masculine subjects, while حية is used for feminine subjects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the adjective is حية. The plural form of the adjective is أحياء.
How do you pronounce it?
hayy
Did you know?
- The feminine form حية is spelled exactly like the Arabic word for 'snake', which can lead to confusion in written texts if the context is not clear.
- The term على قيد الحياة is a common idiom for being 'alive' that literally translates to 'on the tether of life'.
- The word حي is also the common Arabic term for a 'neighborhood' or 'district'.
Examples in context
- ما زالت الحشرة حية.The bug is still alive.This sentence shows how to use حي to describe an insect that is still alive.Tatoeba #384281 by saeb, translation #45094 by CK
- ألا تزال السمكة حية؟Is the fish still alive?This sentence is useful for asking if a fish is still alive using حي.Tatoeba #1597909 by Amastan, translation #19354 by CK
- هل الثعبان حي أم ميت؟Is the snake alive or dead?This sentence shows how to ask whether a snake is حي or dead.Tatoeba #521886 by saeb, translation #49936 by CK
- هذا الرَجُل حَيّ.This man is alive.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmad and Nour are looking at a small bird in the garden.
- أحمد Ahmedهل هذا العصفور حي؟Hal hadha al-usfur hayy?Is this bird alive?
- نور Nourنعم، هو حي ويعيش.Na'am, huwa hayy wa ya'ish.Yes, it is alive and living.
- أحمد Ahmedأنا سعيد لأنه حي.Ana sa'id li'annahu hayy.I am happy that it is alive.
- نور Nourسوف نعتني به يا أحمد.Sawfa na'tani bihi ya Ahmad.We will take care of it, Ahmad.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
