لَهْجَة
lahjafeminine
The Arabic word for "dialect" is لَهْجَة (lahja). Wiktionary also lists الْعَامِّيَّة (al-ʕāmmiyya) and الدَّارِجَة (ad-dārija).
Meaning: particular variety of a language (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لَهْجَة | lahja | feminine |
| الْعَامِّيَّة | al-ʕāmmiyya | Arabic, Eastern, colloquial, dialectal, feminine |
| الدَّارِجَة | ad-dārija | Arabic, Western, colloquial, dialectal, feminine |
The term refers to a particular variety of a language.
Which one should you use?
While لَهْجَة is a neutral, general term for any dialect or accent, الْعَامِّيَّة specifically refers to the spoken, non-standard variety of a language or the vernacular used in everyday speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
الدَّارِجَة is specifically used in North Africa (the Maghreb) to refer to the local spoken dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
لَهْجَة is a feminine noun, so any adjectives describing it must also be in the feminine form.
How do you pronounce it?
lahja
Did you know?
- Arabic dialects can be so different that a speaker of الدَّارِجَة from Morocco may be completely unable to understand a speaker of the لَهْجَة from Iraq.
- The linguistic situation in Arabic is called 'diglossia', where الفصحى (Modern Standard Arabic) and العامية (the dialect) are used in different social contexts, often by the same person in one conversation.
- The word الدَّارِجَة is derived from a root that means 'to flow' or 'to walk/circulate', suggesting that a dialect is something that 'flows' naturally among people.
Examples in context
- يجب أن تدرس اللغة الفصحى أولاً، ثم تتعلم اللهجة المحلية لتتكيف مع الناس في المنطقة التي تودّ زيارتها.You should study Modern Standard Arabic first, then learn the local dialect to adapt to the people in the region you want to visit.
- اليوم سنتناول مناقشة توجيهية للغة العربية وتأثير اللهجات الإقليمية عليها.Today, we will have a linguistic discussion about Arabic and the impact of regional dialects on it.
- في هذه المنطقة، نحن نتحدث باللهجة العامة، ولكن هناك بعض الاختلافات من منطقة إلى أخرى.In this region, we speak the common dialect, but there are some variations from one area to another.
- لأن العرب يستخدمون العربية الفصحى في الكتابة والأدب والعامية في حياتهم اليومية والتواصل العام مع الناس.Because Arabs use Modern Standard Arabic in writing and literature, while they use colloquial Arabic in their daily life and general communication with people.
- هَذِهِ لَهْجَةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ عَلَيَّ.hadhihi lahjatun jadidatun 'alayya.This is a new dialect to me.
- هَلْ هَذِهِ لَهْجَةٌ مَحَلِّيَّةٌ؟hal hadhihi lahjatun mahalliyya?Is this a local dialect?
- أَنَا أُحِبُّ لَهْجَةَ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ.ana uhibbu lahjata ahli ash-sham.I love the dialect of the Levant people.
Example conversation
Layla and Omar are talking about languages.
- ليلى Laylaأي لَهْجَة تتكلم في بيتك؟ayyu lahja tatakallam fi baytik?Which dialect do you speak at home?
- عمر Omarأتكلم لَهْجَة بلدي مع عائلتي.atakallam lahjat baladi ma'a 'a'ilati.I speak my country's dialect with my family.
- ليلى Laylaإنها لَهْجَة جميلة جداً.innaha lahja jamila jiddan.It is a very beautiful dialect.
- عمر Omarشكراً لكِ يا ليلى.shukran laki ya Layla.Thank you, Layla.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dialect” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
