كُعَيْكَة
kuʕaykafeminine
A cookie in Arabic is كُعَيْكَة (kuʕayka), a small cake or biscuit. If unsure, use كُعَيْكَة. Wiktionary also lists كُوكِي (kūkī) and بَسْكَوِيت (baskawīt).
Meaning: small, flat baked good (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كُعَيْكَة | kuʕayka | feminine |
| كُوكِي | kūkī | masculine |
| بَسْكَوِيت | baskawīt | masculine |
كُعَيْكَة is the standard Arabic word for a small, flat baked sweet. For a Western-style cookie, such as a chocolate chip cookie, many people simply use the borrowed word كُوكِي (kūkī).
What does it mean word for word?
كُعَيْكَة is a diminutive, a small version, of the Arabic word for cake, so it literally means small cake.
Which one should you use?
كُعَيْكَة refers to a traditional small cake or biscuit. كُوكِي is used specifically for Western-style cookies. بَسْكَوِيت (baskawīt) is a more general word for biscuits or crackers and is often used for cookies in many contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
كُعَيْكَة is a feminine noun. Its plural is كُعَيْكَات, cookies.
How do you pronounce it?
It is read kuʕayka, with the deep throat sound written ʕ in the middle.
Did you know?
- During the holiday of Eid, traditional cookies like معمول (ma'moul) are often pressed into wooden molds to create intricate patterns, making the shape as important as the taste.
- The word كُعَيْكَة is a diminutive form, a linguistic tool used in Arabic to denote smallness or affection by changing the internal vowel structure of the root word.
- In many Arabic-speaking countries, the word بَسْكَوِيت is used for both sweet cookies and salty crackers, meaning a single word covers a vast range of baked goods.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Maryam and Ahmed are in the kitchen.
- مريم Maryamأحمد، هل تريد كُعَيْكَة؟Ahmed, hal turīdu ku'aykah?Ahmed, do you want a cookie?
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، أريد واحدة من فضلك.Na'am, urīdu wāḥidah min faḍlik.Yes, I want one please.
- مريم Maryamتفضل، هذه الكُعَيْكَة ساخنة.Tafaḍḍal, hādhihil ku'aykah sākhi nah.Here you go, this cookie is hot.
- أحمد Ahmedشكراً يا مريم!Shukran yā Maryam!Thank you, Maryam!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cookie” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
