كرسي
korsī/kur.sijj/Egyptian Arabic, masculine
The word for chair in Arabic is كرسي (korsī) (kursiyy). If unsure, use كرسي. Wiktionary also lists كُرْسِيّ (kursiyy) and مَقْعَد (maqʕad).
Meaning: furniture (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| كرسي | korsī | /kur.sijj/ | Egyptian Arabic, masculine |
| كُرْسِيّ | kursiyy | masculine | |
| مَقْعَد | maqʕad | masculine | |
| شلية | šalya | Moroccan Arabic |
كرسي is the everyday word for a chair, the piece of furniture you sit on. It is used in homes, offices, classrooms and restaurants alike.
Which one should you use?
كُرْسِيّ refers specifically to a chair. مَقْعَد (maqʕad) is a more general word meaning seat or place to sit, such as a seat on a bus or in a theater.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic the word is the same, كرسي, pronounced korsī. In Moroccan Arabic you will also hear شلية (šalya).
How does it change in a sentence?
كُرْسِيّ is a masculine noun. Its plural is كراسي, chairs. Endings can be added to it, as in كرسيه, his chair.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /kur.sijj/, two syllables. In Egyptian Arabic it sounds like korsī, with a long ee sound at the end.
Did you know?
- The Quran uses the word كرسي to describe a divine throne or footstool of immense scale rather than a piece of furniture.
- The word كرسي was borrowed into Arabic from Aramaic kursəyā.
- The plural form كراسي (karāsī) uses a 'broken plural' pattern, which changes the internal structure of the word rather than just adding a suffix.
Examples in context
- قفز ياني من كرسيه.Yanni jumped out of his chair.كرسيه means his chair, with the ending for his added to كرسي.Tatoeba #11250334 by Amghar, translation #9115009 by Amastan
- يوجد كرسي في القاعة.There is a chair in the room.كرسي here is a chair, in there is a chair in the room.Tatoeba #11250345 by Amghar, translation #8314812 by Amastan
- أحضر لي كرسياً من فضلك.Get me a chair, please.كرسياً is the form used when the chair is the object, in get me a chair.Tatoeba #402344 by saeb, translation #66451 by CK
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ziad and Maryam are arranging a room for guests.
- زياد Ziadمريم، ممكن تنقلي الكرسي ده هنا؟Maryam, momken tenqoli el korsi da hena?Maryam, can you move this chair here?
- مريم Maryamأي كرسي تقصد يا زياد؟Ay korsi teqsed ya Ziad?Which chair do you mean, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadالكرسي الخشب اللي جنب الشباك.El korsi el khashab elli ganb el shebbak.The wooden chair that is by the window.
- مريم Maryamحاضر، هجيب الكرسي دلوقتي.Hader, hagib el korsi delwaqti.Okay, I will bring the chair now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chair” translations and entries كرسي, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries كرسي, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
