صَفّ
ṣaffmasculine
The English word 'classroom' can be translated into Arabic using several forms, most commonly صَفّ (ṣaff). Wiktionary also lists غُرْفَة التَّدْرِيس (ḡurfat at-tadrīs) and فَصْل (faṣl).
Meaning: room in a school (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| صَفّ | ṣaff | masculine |
| غُرْفَة التَّدْرِيس | ḡurfat at-tadrīs | feminine |
| فَصْل | faṣl | masculine |
| فَصْل مَدْرَسِيّ | faṣl madrasiyy | masculine |
In Arabic, several terms can refer to a classroom.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal phrase غُرْفَة التَّدْرِيس literally means 'room of teaching'.
Which one should you use?
The word صَفّ can mean both the 'classroom' and the 'class' (the group of students) itself. Another common synonym is فَصْل, which is a very common way to say classroom, though its root also implies 'separation' or 'distinction'. To be more explicitly descriptive, you can use فَصْل مَدْرَسِيّ to mean 'school classroom'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of فَصْل is فُصول. The plural of صَفّ is صُفوف.
How do you pronounce it?
ṣaff
Did you know?
- The root of صَفّ is used in the word مُصَفّى, which means 'filtered' or 'refined'. It describes the process of arranging particles in a row to purify a liquid.
- The word فَصْل also means a 'season' of the year or a 'chapter' in a book. All these meanings share the idea of a distinct period or space separated from another.
- The word فَصْل can also mean 'dismissal' or 'firing' from a job. This uses the same root of 'separation' but refers to being separated from one's employment.
Examples in context
- أين هو الصف الدراسي؟Where is the classroom?
- هل يمكنني الذهاب إلى القاعة الدراسية؟Can I go to the classroom?
- بعد المرحلة الأولى نذهب إلى الصف.After the first stage, we go to the classroom.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “classroom” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
