Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لَوْحَة | lawḥa | feminine |
| خَشَبَة | ḵašaba | feminine |
لَوْحَة is used for a board that serves as a surface for a painting, a sign or a writing surface. If you need to specify a writing board, such as a chalkboard or whiteboard, you can use the phrase لَوْحَةُ كَتَابَةٍ. On the other hand, خَشَبَة refers specifically to a piece of wood or a plank.
Which one should you use?
لَوْحَة (lawḥa) refers to a board used as a display surface, such as a painting, a plaque or a chalkboard. In contrast, خَشَبَة (ḵašaba) refers to a physical piece of wood or a plank.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the word سبورة is used to denote a board. For specific types of boards in this context, you might use سبورة سوداء for "blackboard" or سبورة الطباشير for "chalkboard".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both لَوْحَة and خَشَبَة are feminine nouns. The plural form of the feminine noun لَوْحَة is لَوْحَات, and the plural form of the feminine noun خَشَبَة is خَشَبَات.
How do you pronounce it?
lawḥa
Did you know?
- When referring to a 'board of directors', Arabic uses مَجْلِس, which literally means a 'sitting place'.
- In religious contexts, the masculine form لَوْح is used to refer to the 'Tablets', such as the 'Preserved Tablet', which is a central concept in Islamic theology.
- While لَوْحَة refers to a board, it is also the standard word for a 'painting' or a 'canvas' in an art gallery. This means that an artist's 'board' and a finished 'artwork' share the exact same noun.
Examples in context
- أرجوك، اكتب المعلومات على اللوحة.Please write the information on the board.
- قمت بمسح اللوحة.I erased the board.
- هَذِهِ لَوْحَةٌ خَشَبِيَّةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ.hadhihi lawḥatun khashabiyyatun jadīdah.This is a new wooden board.
- نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى لَوْحَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ لِلْبِنَاءِ.naḥtāju ilā lawḥatin kabīratin lil-binā‘.We need a large board for construction.
Example conversation
Sara and Ziad are working on a DIY project at home.
- سارة Saraزياد، هَل هذه لَوْحَة مِناسبة لِلمَشْروع؟Ziad, hal hadhihi lawha munasiba lil-mashru'?Ziad, is this board suitable for the project?
- زياد Ziadنَعَم يا سارة، لَكِنَّها طَويلَة جِدًّا.Na'am ya Sara, lakinnaha tawila jiddan.Yes Sara, but it is very long.
- سارة Saraسَأَقُصُّ هذه لَوْحَة لِتُصْبِحَ أَقْصَر.Sa-aquss hadhihi lawha li-tusbiha aqsar.I will cut this board to make it shorter.
- زياد Ziadفِكْرَة جَيِّدَة، سَأُساعِدُكِ في ذَلِك.Fikra jayyida, sa-usa'iduki fi dhalik.Good idea, I will help you with that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “board” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
