صَحِيح
ṣaḥīḥ
In Arabic, the word for correct can vary by form and dialect. The default form is صَحِيح (ṣaḥīḥ). Wiktionary also lists صَوَاب (ṣawāb) and صَح (ṣaḥ).
Meaning: free from error (adj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| صَحِيح | ṣaḥīḥ | |
| صَوَاب | ṣawāb | |
| صَح | ṣaḥ | Egyptian Arabic |
The term is used to denote something that is free from error. You can use the adjective to describe a valid or correct item, or use the related verb صَحَّحَ to mean making something right that was previously wrong.
Which one should you use?
The adjective صَحِيح is used to describe something as being correct or valid, whereas the noun صَوَاب refers to the concept of correctness or truth itself.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can use the colloquial shortening صَح to mean 'correct' or 'right' or the phrase صح كدا to denote correct. In Gulf Arabic, you can use the term صَحْ to mean correct.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective صَحِيح takes the feminine form صَحِيحَة when describing a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
ṣaḥīḥ
Did you know?
- In the context of Islamic jurisprudence, the word صَحِيح is used to grade the authenticity of a 'hadith', denoting a narration that is 'sound' and free from flaws.
- While صَحِيح describes a factual truth, it is also the standard word used by doctors and pharmacists to mean 'healthy' or 'sound' when describing a person's body or a medical condition.
- The word صَحِيح is used in Arabic grammar to describe a 'sound' verb, which is one whose root contains no weak letters like 'waw' or 'ya'.
Examples in context
- صَحِح الأخطاء, إذا كان هناك أي منها.Correct the errors, if there are any.This sentence shows how to use the verb form of the word to express correcting errors.Tatoeba #1986794 by Asma, translation #1986352 by Eldad
- صَحِيح أم خَطَأ؟Correct or incorrect?
- إجابتُكَ صَحِيحَةٌ.Your answer is correct.
- هذا الجواب صَحِيح.Hādhā al-jawāb ṣaḥīḥ.This answer is correct.
Example conversation
Omar and Nour are checking their homework together.
- عمر Omarانظري يا نور، هل هذا الحل صَحِيح؟Unzuri ya Nour, hal hadha al-hall sahih?Look Nour, is this solution correct?
- نور Nourنعم يا عمر، إنه صَحِيح تماماً.Na'am ya Omar, innahu sahih tamaman.Yes Omar, it is completely correct.
- عمر Omarشكراً لكِ على المساعدة.Shukran laki 'ala al-musa'ada.Thank you for the help.
- نور Nourلا شكر على واجب.La shukr 'ala wajib.You are welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “correct” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
