فيل
fīl/fiːl/Egyptian Arabic, masculine
The English word 'elephant' is فيل (fīl) in Arabic. Wiktionary also lists فِيل (fīl).
Meaning: mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| فيل | fīl | /fiːl/ | Egyptian Arabic, masculine |
| فِيل | fīl | masculine |
The word refers to the large mammal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the colloquial term for elephant is فيل.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the word is فيلة.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is fīl and the IPA is /fiːl/.
When do people say it?
The term is part of the name for the 105th chapter of the Qur'an, known as Surat al-Fil (The Chapter of the Elephant), سورة الفيل.
Did you know?
- The word فيل shares a root with words in Sanskrit, such as pīlu, suggesting that the name for the animal traveled along ancient trade routes between India and the Middle East.
- The name for the 105th chapter of the Qur'an, سورة الفيل, refers to a specific historical event involving an army of elephants.
- The word فيل is remarkably stable across different dialects, being used in both Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Arabic without change.
Examples in context
- بإمكاني التهام فيل بأكمله.I could eat an elephant.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use فيل in a sentence about eating.Tatoeba #5824204 by OsoHombre, translation #5823360 by OsoHombre
- عندي فيل.I have an elephant.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use فيل to indicate possession.Tatoeba #4423345 by damascene, translation #4427135 by newton55
- الله فيل.God is an elephant.Tatoeba #12311875 by Adelpa, translation #12311450 by Adelpa
- شفت فيل بالحديقة؟Have you seen an elephant at the park?
- ايه، شفته. الفيل كان كبير جداً!Yes, I saw it. The elephant was very big!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elephant” translations and entries فيل, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries فيل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
