سُعْلَة
suʕlafeminine
The English word "cough" is translated into Arabic using several forms, primarily سُعْلَة (suʕla). Wiktionary also lists سُعَال (suʕāl) and كُحَّة (kuḥḥa).
Meaning: sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis, and out through the mouth (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| سُعْلَة | suʕla | feminine |
| سُعَال | suʕāl | masculine |
| كُحَّة | kuḥḥa | feminine |
A cough is the sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis and out through the mouth.
Which one should you use?
The form سُعْلَة refers to a single cough or the sound of a cough, whereas سُعَال refers to the general act or the medical condition of coughing. كُحَّة is another way to denote a cough.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb سَعَلَ is in the past tense masculine singular form. To specify a "dry cough", you add the adjective جاف (dry) after the noun سُعَال, resulting in سُعَال جاف.
How do you pronounce it?
suʕla
Did you know?
- In some traditional Arabic medicine contexts, the type of 'cough' is described not just by its sound, but by its 'temperature', distinguishing between a 'cold' cough and a 'hot' cough to determine the cure.
- If you are coughing heavily in a social setting, an Arabic speaker might offer you 'ماء' (water) as a reflex of hospitality, treating the cough as a sign of thirst or dryness rather than just an illness.
- In many Arabic dialects, the word كحة is more common in daily conversation than the formal سعال used in textbooks.
Examples in context
- الرجاء توجيهي إلى أقرب صيدلية. أعاني من سُعال مستمر.Please direct me to the nearest pharmacy. I'm suffering from a persistent cough.
- لقد عانيت من كَحَة مزمنة لعدة أيام الآن.I've been suffering from a chronic cough for several days now.
- هذه سُعْلَة قوية جدًا.hadhihi su'la qawiya jiddan.This is a very strong cough.
- أنا أسمع سُعْلَة في الغرفة.ana asma'u su'la fil ghurfa.I hear a cough in the room.
Example conversation
Ziyad is telling Sarah that he feels sick.
- زياد Ziadأَشْعُرُ بِتَعَبٍ وَعِنْدِي سُعْلَة.Ash'uru bi ta'abin wa indi su'lah.I feel tired and I have a cough.
- سارة Saraسَلَامَتُكَ يَا زِياد، هَلْ لَدَيْكَ حُمَّى؟Salamatuka ya Ziyad, hal ladayka humma?Get well soon, Ziyad. Do you have a fever?
- زياد Ziadلَا، لَكِنَّ السُّعْلَةَ قَوِيَّة.La, lakin as-su'lah qawiyyah.No, but the cough is strong.
- سارة Saraيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ إِلَى الطَّبِيبِ.Yajibu an tadhab ila at-tabib.You should go to the doctor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cough” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
