نحلة
naḥla/naħ.la/Egyptian Arabic, feminine, singulative
The English word 'bee' is نحلة (naḥla) in Arabic. Wiktionary also lists نَحْلَة (naḥla) and نَحْل (naḥl).
Meaning: insect (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| نحلة | naḥla | /naħ.la/ | Egyptian Arabic, feminine, singulative |
| نَحْلَة | naḥla | feminine | |
| نَحْل | naḥl | collective, feminine | |
| نحل | naḥl | /naħl/ | Egyptian Arabic, collective, masculine |
The word is used to refer to the insect known as a bee.
Which one should you use?
Use نَحْلَة when talking about one specific bee, whereas نَحْل is used when talking about bees as a collective group or the species in general.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you may see نحل used as a masculine collective noun or نحلة as a feminine singulative form.
How does it change in a sentence?
نَحْل is a collective noun representing a group of bees or the species without needing a plural suffix. The form نَحْلَة is the singulative form, used to refer to a single bee.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /naħ.la/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The term نَحْلَة can sometimes be used in legal or classical contexts to refer to a 'gift' or a voluntary donation, though this is a distinct linguistic path.
- In the Quran, an entire chapter called النحل (The Bee) is named after this insect to highlight the wisdom of nature.
- The Arabic word نَحْل shares a common root with the Hebrew word נְחִיל, which refers to a 'swarm'.
Examples in context
- لسعت نحلة زيري.Ziri was stung by a bee.This sentence shows the use of نحل to describe an insect that stung someone.Tatoeba #11636134 by dididodo, translation #10209646 by Amastan
- في نحلة في الورد.fi nahla fil ward.There is a bee in the flowers.
- أنا شفت نحلة كبيرة.ana shoft nahla kebira.I saw a big bee.
Example conversation
A young man and woman are sitting in a garden.
- سارة Saraيوسف، في نحلة قريبة منك!Youssef, fi nahla orayeb menak!Youssef, there is a bee near you!
- يوسف Youssefفين؟ أنا مش شايفها.Fein? Ana mosh shayifha.Where? I don't see it.
- سارة Saraهي فوق الوردة دي.Heya fo' el warda dee.It is on top of this flower.
- يوسف Youssefتمام، خلاص مش هتحرك.Tamam, khalas mosh hat-harrak.Okay, fine, I won't move.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bee” translations and entries نحلة, نحل, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries نحل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
