How to Say "Cry" in Arabic - How To Say Guide

بَكَى

bakā

To cry in Arabic is expressed by بَكَى (bakā). Wiktionary also lists عَيَّط (ʕayyaṭ) and بچى (biča).

Meaning: intransitive: to shed tears (verb)

Ways to say it

The verb refers to the act of shedding tears.

The standard Arabic form بَكَى is used in formal writing, literature and news, whereas the dialectal forms are used in daily speech.

In Egyptian Arabic, the common way to say 'to cry' is عَيَّط. In Gulf Arabic dialects, بچى is used and in Hijazi Arabic, بِكي is used.

The pronunciation of بَكَى is bakā.

In many Arabic dialects, the word عَيَّط used for 'cry' can also mean 'to shout' or 'to yell'. This means a person might be screaming in anger or sadness depending on the context.
In certain Gulf dialects, the spelling بچى uses a letter that looks like a 'j' but is pronounced as a 'ch' sound, a feature not found in Standard Arabic.
In classical Arabic poetry, بَكَى is frequently used as a metaphor for ruins, where the poet 'cries' over the remnants of a lost home or love.

بكى الطفل عندما فقد لعبته
The child cried when he lost his toy
ما قدرت تمنع نفسها وانهارت
She couldn't stop herself from crying
بَكَى الطِّفْلُ لِأَنَّهُ جَائِعٌ.
baká al-tiflu li-annahu jā'i'un.
The child cried because he is hungry.
لِمَاذَا بَكَى الوَلَدُ اليَوْمَ؟
limādhā baká al-waladu al-yawma?
Why did the boy cry today?
بَكَى الرَّجُلُ عِنْدَمَا سَمِعَ الخَبَرَ.
baká al-rajulu 'indamā sami'a al-khabara.
The man cried when he heard the news.

Nour and Ahmed are discussing a sad story.

نور Nour

هل بَكَى البطل في نهاية القصة؟
hal baka al-batal fi nihayat al-qissa?
Did the hero cry at the end of the story?
أحمد Ahmed

نعم، لقد بَكَى كثيراً.
na'am, laqad baka kathiran.
Yes, he cried a lot.
نور Nour

هذا محزن جداً يا أحمد.
hadha muhzin jiddan ya Ahmed.
That is very sad, Ahmed.
أحمد Ahmed

أوافقكِ الرأي يا نور.
uwafiquki al-ra'y ya Nour.
I agree with you, Nour.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏