جمال
gamalstandard, Egypt
In Egyptian Arabic, "beauty" is جمال (gamal). In casual speech Egyptians also use حلاوة (halawa), literally "sweetness", for prettiness.
Meaning: quality of being beautiful (noun)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| جمال | gamal | standard, Egypt |
| حلاوة | halawa | colloquial |
To say a woman is beautiful, say جميلة (gamila). Someone with a lovely look might hear إيه الحلاوة دي (eh el-halawa di), "what loveliness".
How do you pronounce it?
Egyptians pronounce the letter ج as a hard "g", so جمال sounds like "gamal" and not "jamal".
Did you know?
- The name جمال (Gamal) is also a common male first name in Egypt.
Examples in context
- جمال البحر هنا حاجة تانيةgamal el-bahr hena haga tanyaThe beauty of the sea here is something else.
- ما شاء الله على الجمالmasha'allah ala el-gamalGod bless such beauty.
Example conversation
Mona and her aunt Nadia look at the Nile from a felucca in Aswan.
- Monaشوفي جمال النيلshufi gamal en-nilLook at the beauty of the Nile.
- Nadiaإيه الحلاوة ديeh el-halawa diHow lovely this is.
- Monaما شاء اللهmasha'allahGod bless it.
