Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أَسْمَر | ʔasmar | masculine |
| بُنِّيّ | bunniyy | |
| سَمْرَاء | samrāʔ | feminine |
| سُمْر | sumr | plural |
In Arabic, the way you say "brown" depends heavily on whether you are describing a person's complexion or the color of an object. أَسْمَر is typically used to describe a person's skin tone or complexion. In contrast, بُنِّيّ is the standard adjective used for inanimate objects or specific colors like hair or clothing.
What does it mean word for word?
The word بُنِّيّ is derived from the word for "coffee bean" (بُن), which serves as the root for the color brown in many contexts.
Which one should you use?
Use أَسْمَر when referring to skin tone. Use بُنِّيّ when referring to the color of objects or hair. The form سَمْرَاء is the feminine version of the skin tone descriptor, while سُمْر is the plural form used specifically for groups of people with brown or tanned complexions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the word for brown is بُنّي.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing people with brown or tanned complexions, the broken plural form سُمْر is used.
How do you pronounce it?
ʔasmar
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, calling someone أَسْمَر is not just a description of color, but often used as a compliment to denote attractiveness or a sun-kissed, healthy glow.
- The term سُمْر is a 'broken plural', a complex grammatical structure where the word is essentially reshaped rather than just adding a suffix.
- Because أَسْمَر is often associated with poetic beauty, it appears frequently in classical Arabic poetry to describe beloved characters.
Examples in context
- السجاد باللون البني يتناسب تمامًا مع أثاث الغرفة.The brown carpet perfectly matches the room's furniture.
- اشتريت قميصًا بنيًا جميلًا اليوم.I bought a beautiful brown shirt today.
- الشعر البني يعتبر رمزًا للجمال الطبيعي.Brown hair is considered a symbol of natural beauty.
- هُوَ رَجُلٌ أَسْمَرُ.huwa rajulun asmar.He is a brown-skinned man.
- هَذَا الْوَلَدُ أَسْمَرُ جِدًّا.hadha al-waladu asmaru jiddan.This boy is very brown-skinned.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a photo of a boy.
- سارة Saraهَلْ هَذَا الْوَلَدُ أَسْمَرُ؟hal hadha al-waladu asmar?Is this boy brown-skinned?
- زياد Ziadنَعَمْ، هُوَ أَسْمَرُ جِدًّا.na'am, huwa asmaru jiddan.Yes, he is very brown.
- سارة Saraلَوْنُ بَشَرَتِهِ جَمِيلٌ.lawnu basharatihi jamil.His skin color is beautiful.
- زياد Ziadأَنْتِ عَلَى حَقٍّ.anti 'ala haqq.You are right.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brown” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
