جُدَرِيّ المَاء
judariyy al-māʔmasculine
In Arabic, chicken pox is جُدَرِيّ المَاء (judariyy al-māʔ). Wiktionary also lists عَنْقَز (ʕanqaz).
Meaning: disease (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| جُدَرِيّ المَاء | judariyy al-māʔ | masculine |
| عَنْقَز | ʕanqaz | masculine |
What does it mean word for word?
The term جُدَرِيّ المَاء literally translates to water pox.
Which one should you use?
جُدَرِيّ المَاء is the standard medical and formal term, whereas عَنْقَز is a colloquial term used in certain dialects.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Moroccan Arabic, the term جداري may be used. Additionally, in some North African dialects, the colloquial expression جداريش is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both جُدَرِيّ المَاء and عَنْقَز are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
judariyy al-māʔ
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the word for 'chicken' is nowhere to be found in the name for this disease. Instead of referencing a bird, the term focuses entirely on the fluid-filled nature of the skin rash.
- The word جُدَرِيّ is shared between 'chicken pox' and 'smallpox', meaning the only thing distinguishing a mild childhood illness from a deadly plague is the word for 'water'.
- The specific term عَنْقَز is a linguistic marker of certain dialects, making it a way to identify a speaker's regional background through a single word for an illness.
Examples in context
- يُصِيبُ جُدَرِيّ المَاء الأَطْفَالَ كَثِيرًا.yusibu judariyy al-ma' al-atfala kathiran.Chicken pox affects children a lot.
- هَلْ عِنْدَكَ جُدَرِيّ المَاء؟hal 'indaka judariyy al-ma'?Do you have chicken pox?
- يَجِبُ الحَذَرُ مِنْ جُدَرِيّ المَاء.yajibu al-hadharu min judariyy al-ma'.One must be careful of chicken pox.
Example conversation
A mother and son are talking about his symptoms at home.
- يوسف Youssefهَلْ هَذَا جُدَرِيّ المَاء يَا يُوسُف؟hal hadha judariyy al-ma' ya Yusuf?Is this chicken pox, Yusuf?
- سارة Saraنَعَمْ، أَنَا أَشْعُرُ بِحَرَارَةٍ عَالِيَةٍ.na'am, ana ash'uru bi-hararatin 'aliyah.Yes, I feel a high fever.
- يوسف Youssefسَأَأْخُذُكَ إِلَى الطَّبِيبِ فَوْرًا.sa-akhudhuka ila al-tabibi fawran.I will take you to the doctor immediately.
- سارة Saraشُكْرًا لَكِ يَا أُمِّي.shukran laki ya ummi.Thank you, mother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chicken pox” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
