ألوان
alwanplural
In Egyptian Arabic, 'colors' is ألوان (alwan). If unsure, use ألوان. It is also called لون (lon).
Meaning: colors in general (noun)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ألوان | alwan | plural |
| لون | lon | singular, a color |
ألوان is the plural used when talking about colors in general, such as a box of crayons, while لون asks about one specific color.
What does it mean word for word?
Both come from the same root, لون is the singular 'a color' and ألوان is its broken plural.
Which one should you use?
Ask ده لونه إيه؟, 'what color is this', for one item, and use ألوان when describing several colors together.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both words are used in every register without change.
Is it said differently in some regions?
They are standard across Egypt.
How does it change in a sentence?
لون is masculine, and its plural ألوان takes plural agreement in a sentence like الألوان دي حلوة, 'these colors are nice'.
How do you pronounce it?
ألوان is said 'al-WAN', with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- Several common Egyptian color names, such as بمبي for pink and بيج for beige, are borrowed words layered on top of the older Arabic color vocabulary.
Examples in context
- عندك ألوان كتير في الفرشة دي.andak alwan kiteer fi el-forsha di.You have a lot of colors in this brush set.
- ده لونه إيه بالظبط؟da lono eih bel-zabt?What exactly is this color?
- بحب الألوان الفاتحة.baheb el-alwan el-fat'ha.I like light colors.
Example conversation
A mother named Iman helps her daughter Lana pick colors for a school project.
- Lanaماما، عايزة ألوان كتير للرسم.mama, ayza alwan kiteer lel-rasm.Mom, I want a lot of colors for drawing.
- Imanعندنا صندوق ألوان قديم في الدرج.andena sandoo' alwan adeem fi el-dorg.We have an old box of colors in the drawer.
- Lanaفيه اللون البمبي؟fih el-lon el-bambi?Is the pink color in it?
- Imanأظن كده، هنشوف دلوقتي.azann keda, hanshoof dilwa'ti.I think so, let's see now.
