قَبْوْ
qabwmasculine
Basement in Arabic is قَبْوْ (qabw). Other words are بَدْرُوم (badrūm) and سِرْدَاب (sirdāb). If unsure, use قَبْوْ. Wiktionary also lists بَدْرُون (badrūn).
Meaning: floor below ground level (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قَبْوْ | qabw | masculine |
| سِرْدَاب | sirdāb | masculine |
| بَدْرُوم | badrūm | masculine |
| بَدْرُون | badrūn | masculine |
قَبْوْ is the standard word for a floor or room below ground level, such as a cellar under a house.
Which one should you use?
بَدْرُوم is a loanword and a general everyday word for a basement in a building. سِرْدَاب often suggests a more traditional underground space, used for storage or as a cool retreat from the heat. بَدْرُون (badrūn) is a variant of بَدْرُوم.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
بَدْرُوم is colloquial and very common in many dialects.
Is it said differently in some regions?
سِرْدَاب is frequently used in the Gulf region and Iraq.
How does it change in a sentence?
All four words are masculine.
Did you know?
- In many Gulf households, the سِرْدَاب historically functioned as a social hub during the hottest months, acting as a subterranean living room for the entire family.
- The word سِرْدَاب is also used in religious and historical contexts to describe the 'hidden' crypts where certain figures are buried or commemorated.
- The term سِرْدَاب shares a linguistic root with words for 'tunneling' or 'hidden paths', emphasizing its role as a concealed space rather than just a lower floor.
Examples in context
- في السفارة يوجد مخزن في الطابق السفليThere is a basement in the embassy.
- يمكننا استخدام المرآب في الطابق السفلي كغرفة تخزينWe can use the basement garage as a storage room.
- يوجد في البيت سرداب كبير.There is a big basement in the house.
- لنقم بتحويل السرداب إلى غرفة معيشة صغيرة.Let's convert the basement into a small living room.
- بعد الفيضانات، تهدمت السردابات في ذلك الحي.After the floods, the basements in that neighborhood collapsed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “basement” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
