Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| الْعَرَبِيَّة | al-ʕarabiyya | feminine |
| اللُّغَة الْعَرَبِيَّة | al-luḡa l-ʕarabiyya | feminine |
| عَرَبِيّ | ʕarabiyy | colloquial, masculine |
To name the language, you use الْعَرَبِيَّة or اللُّغَة الْعَرَبِيَّة.
Which one should you use?
الْعَرَبِيَّة refers specifically to the language. In contrast, the masculine form عَرَبِيّ is used as an adjective for masculine nouns, such as an Arabic book. The feminine form عَرَبِيَّة is used when the noun it modifies is feminine, such as an Arabic newspaper.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To express the name of the language formally, you can use اللُّغَة الْعَرَبِيَّة (the Arabic language) or لغة العرب. The form عَرَبِيّ is marked as colloquial.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for the Arabic language is grammatically feminine. When used as an adjective, the word must agree with the noun: use the masculine عَرَبِيّ for masculine nouns and the feminine عَرَبِيَّة for feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
al-ʕarabiyya
Did you know?
- Because الْعَرَبِيَّة is the language of the Quran, it is often referred to in religious contexts as لغة الضاد, or 'the language of the letter Dad'.
- While اللُّغَة الْعَرَبِيَّة is the standard name, speakers often refer to 'Classical Arabic' as الفصحى, which literally means 'the most eloquent' or 'the purest'.
- Writing the name الْعَرَبِيَّة involves a 'sun letter', meaning the 'L' in the definite article ال is not pronounced, blending directly into the 'A' sound.
Examples in context
- أنا أتحدث اللغة العربية بطلاقة.I speak Arabic fluently.
- هل تفهم لغة العرب؟Do you understand Arabic?
- أحب الأدب العربي.I love Arabic literature.
- هَلْ تَتَحَدَّثُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ؟Hal tataḥaddath al-ʿarabiyyah?Do you speak Arabic?
- أَنَا أَتَعَلَّمُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ الآنَ.Anā ataʿallamu al-ʿarabiyyah al-ān.I am learning Arabic now.
- الْكِتَابُ مَكْتُوبٌ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ.Al-kitābu maktūbun bi-al-ʿarabiyyah.The book is written in Arabic.
Example conversation
A student and a teacher are talking at a language school.
- زياد Ziadهَلْ تُحِبُّ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ يَا سَارَةُ؟Hal tuḥibbu al-ʿarabiyyah yā Sārah?Do you like Arabic, Sarah?
- سارة Saraنَعَمْ، أَنَا أُحِبُّ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ كَثِيرًا.Naʿam, anā uḥibbu al-ʿarabiyyah kathīran.Yes, I love Arabic very much.
- زياد Ziadهَلْ هِيَ صَعْبَةٌ؟Hal hiya ṣaʿbah?Is it difficult?
- سارة Saraلَا، هِيَ جَمِيلَةٌ جِدًّا.Lā, hiya jamīlah jiddan.No, it is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “arabic” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
