صَبَاح الْخَيْر
ṣabāḥ al-ḵayr
In Arabic, good morning is said as صَبَاح الْخَيْر (ṣabāḥ al-ḵayr). Wiktionary also lists صَبَاح النُّور (ṣabāḥ an-nūr).
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| صَبَاح الْخَيْر | ṣabāḥ al-ḵayr |
| صَبَاح النُّور | ṣabāḥ an-nūr |
These phrases are used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
The greeting صَبَاح الْخَيْر literally translates to morning of goodness, while the response صَبَاح النُّور literally translates to morning of light.
Which one should you use?
صَبَاح الْخَيْر is the standard greeting used to initiate the morning greeting, whereas صَبَاح النُّور is primarily used as the reply.
How do you pronounce it?
ṣabāḥ al-ḵayr
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with صَبَاح الْخَيْر, the standard and most common response is صَبَاح النُّور.
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, a person might respond to صَبَاح الْخَيْر with صَبَاحُكَ سُكَّر, which translates to 'your morning is sugar', highlighting a cultural preference for sweet metaphors.
- In many Arabic dialects, you can substitute the word الْخَيْر (goodness) with other nouns like السَّعَادَة (happiness) or الْفُل (jasmine) to create a more poetic or colorful greeting.
- The concept of نُور or 'light' in the response صَبَاح النُّور often carries a spiritual connotation of divine guidance and clarity, rather than just physical brightness.
Examples in context
- صَبَاح الْخَيْر جَمِيْعاً.Good morning, everybody.This sentence is useful for seeing how to address a group using صَبَاح الْخَيْر.Tatoeba #399036 by kellenparker, translation #22122 by CK
- صَبَاح الْخَيْر يَا أُمِّي.ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā ummī.Good morning, mother.
- صَبَاح الْخَيْر، هَلْ أَنْتَ بِخَيْر؟ṣabāḥ al-khayr, hal anta bikhayr?Good morning, are you well?
Example conversation
Omar meets Nour at a coffee shop in the morning.
- عمر Omarصَبَاح الْخَيْر يَا نُور.ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā Nūr.Good morning, Nour.
- نور Nourصَبَاح النُّور يَا عُمَر.ṣabāḥ an-nūr yā ‘Umar.Good morning, Omar.
- عمر Omarكَيْفَ حَالُكِ الْيَوْمَ؟kayfa ḥāluki al-yawm?How are you today?
- نور Nourأَنَا بِخَيْر، شُكْراً.ana bikhayr, shukran.I am well, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
