قِشْطَة
qišṭafeminine
The English word 'cream' refers to the fatty part of milk in Arabic as قِشْطَة (qišṭa). Wiktionary also lists قِشْدَة (qišda).
Meaning: fatty part of milk (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قِشْطَة | qišṭa | feminine |
| قِشْدَة | qišda | feminine |
The word refers to the fatty part of milk.
Which one should you use?
قِشْطَة (qišṭa) is the standard term used in Modern Standard Arabic, while قِشْدَة (qišda) is a common colloquial variation used in many spoken Arabic dialects.
Is it said differently in some regions?
قِشْدَة is used in many spoken Arabic dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both قِشْطَة and قِشْدَة are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
qišṭa
Did you know?
- In Egyptian colloquialism, قِشْطَة can be used as an exclamation to agree to a plan, similar to saying 'cool' or 'sounds good'.
- In some Arabic dialects, calling someone قِشْطَة is a slang compliment meaning they are beautiful, sweet or high quality.
- The root of قِشْطَة relates to the act of 'scraping' or 'skimming' the surface, which describes the physical process of removing the top layer of milk.
Examples in context
- من فضلك، هل يمكنك إضافة قشدة على الحلوى؟Could you please add cream to the dessert?
- هَذِهِ الْقِشْطَة لَذِيذَةٌ جِدًّا.Hadhihi al-qishtatu ladhidhatun jiddan.This cream is very delicious.
- هَلْ نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى قِشْطَةٍ إِضَافِيَّةٍ؟Hal nahtaju ila qishtatin idafiyyah?Do we need extra cream?
Example conversation
Ahmed and Maryam are preparing dessert in the kitchen.
- أحمد Ahmedمَرْيَمُ، هَلْ لَدَيْكِ قِشْطَةٌ لِلْحَلْوَى؟Maryam, hal ladayki qishtatun lil-halwa?Maryam, do you have cream for the dessert?
- مريم Maryamنَعَمْ، الْقِشْطَةُ فِي الثَّلَّاجَةِ.Na'am, al-qishtatu fi ath-thallajah.Yes, the cream is in the refrigerator.
- أحمد Ahmedهَلْ هِيَ قِشْطَةٌ طَازَجَةٌ؟Hal hiya qishtatun tazajah?Is it fresh cream?
- مريم Maryamنَعَمْ، اشْتَرَيْتُهَا الْيَوْمَ.Na'am, ishtaraytuha al-yawm.Yes, I bought it today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cream” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
