مَاتَ
māta
The Arabic phrase for 'to die' is مَاتَ (māta). Wiktionary also lists تُوُفِّيَ (tuwuffiya).
Meaning: to stop living (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| مَاتَ | māta |
| تُوُفِّيَ | tuwuffiya |
The verb مَاتَ is used to mean 'to die'. It is an intransitive verb, which means it does not take a direct object. You cannot 'die something' in Arabic.
Which one should you use?
مَاتَ is the standard verb for 'to die', whereas تُوُفِّيَ is used to express the more respectful idea that someone 'passed away'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the verb in the third-person masculine plural to say 'they died', add the suffix -ū to the root to form مَاتُوا.
How do you pronounce it?
māta
Did you know?
- In Arabic poetry, death is often personified as a 'bridegroom' or 'bride' in specific elegies, turning the concept of مَوْت into a wedding of the soul and the afterlife.
- The respectful verb تُوُفِّيَ is actually a passive form that literally means 'to be taken' or 'to be completed'. It implies that God is the one who takes the soul, rather than the person simply ceasing to live.
- The word مَاتَ shares a root with words related to 'death' in other Semitic languages like Hebrew and Amharic, showing a linguistic lineage spanning thousands of years.
Examples in context
- تم تأكيد أن المريض فقد الحياة بعد معاناة طويلة.It has been confirmed that the patient died after a long struggle.
- لِمَاذَا مَاتَتْ هَذِهِ النَّبَاتَةُ؟limādhā mātat hādhihi an-nabātatu?Why did this plant die?
- مَاتَ الرَّجُلُ فِي بَيْتِهِ.māta ar-rajulu fī baytihi.The man died in his house.
Example conversation
Layla and Yusuf are discussing the loss of a pet.
- ليلى Laylaهل مَاتَ عُصْفُورُكَ؟hal māta 'usfūruka?Did your bird die?
- يوسف Youssefنَعَمْ، مَاتَ هَذِ الصَّبَاحَ.na'am, māta hādha as-sabāha.Yes, it died this morning.
- ليلى Laylaأَنَا آسِفَةٌ جِدًّا يَا يُوسُفُ.anā āsifatun jiddan yā Yūsufu.I am very sorry, Yusuf.
- يوسف Youssefشُكْرًا لَكِ يَا لَيْلَى.shukran laki yā Laylā.Thank you, Layla.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “die” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
