Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| حلم | ḥélem | /ħulm/ /ħu.lum/ |
Egyptian Arabic, masculine |
| حُلْم | ḥulm | masculine | |
| رُؤْيَا | ruʔyā | feminine | |
| مَنام | manām | masculine |
حلم is the most common and versatile word. It covers the dreams you see while sleeping and also hopes and ambitions, as in my dream is to become a teacher.
Which one should you use?
حُلْم is the general word for any dream. رُؤْيَا (ruʔyā) is used for a vision or a dream believed to carry spiritual or prophetic meaning. مَنام (manām) refers to dreams during sleep or to sleep itself and sounds more literary or formal than حُلْم.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic the word is written the same way, حلم, but pronounced ḥélem.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
حُلْم is a masculine noun. Its plural is أَحْلام, dreams. Possessive endings attach directly, as in حلمي, my dream and حلمها, her dream. The related verb حَلَمَ means to dream or to hope.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /ħulm/, one syllable with a breathy h from deep in the throat. Egyptian speakers say ḥélem, with two syllables.
Did you know?
- In some linguistic traditions, the root of 'dream' is distantly related to the concept of 'semen' or 'conceptive fluids' via the root م ن ي.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, discussing a رُؤْيَا involves a specific social etiquette where the dreamer may be asked to share only the good parts of the vision.
- The word مَنام ('manām') is unique because it describes both the content of your dreams and the physical state of being asleep.
Examples in context
- كان ذلك حلم حياته.That was his life's dream.حلم here means his life's dream, a lifelong ambition.Tatoeba #7983901 by OsoHombre, translation #6398579 by OsoHombre
- حلمي أن أصبح معلّماً.My dream is to become a teacher.حلمي means my dream, followed by what the speaker hopes to become.Tatoeba #416814 by saeb, translation #251938 by CK
- حلمها هو أن تصبح ممرضة.Her dream is to become a nurse.حلمها means her dream, with the ending for her.Tatoeba #422654 by saeb, translation #309784 by CK
- ليلة البارحة، كان لديّ حلم غريب.Last night, I had a strange dream.
- إنها تحلم بأن تصبح فنانة ناجحة.She dreams of becoming a successful artist.
- حلمي هو أن أسافر حول العالم.My dream is to travel the world.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmed and Layla are talking about their sleep.
- أحمد Ahmedأنا شفت حلم غريب امبارح.Ana shoft helm gharib embareh.I had a strange dream yesterday.
- ليلى Laylaاحكي لي، كان عبارة عن إيه؟Ehki li, kan ebara an eh?Tell me, what was it about?
- أحمد Ahmedكان حلم طويل وموش فاكر كل حاجة.Kan helm taweel we mosh faker kol haga.It was a long dream and I don't remember everything.
- ليلى Laylaأكيد كان مجرد كابوس.Akeed kan mogarrad kabous.It must have just been a nightmare.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dream” translations and entries حلم, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries حلم, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
