قمر
ʾamarslang, either gender
A very Lebanese way to call someone gorgeous is قمر (ʾamar), literally "moon". It fits a man or a woman. For a woman you can also say كتير حلوة (ktīr ḥelwe), "very pretty".
Meaning: very good-looking (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Lebanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قمر | ʾamar | slang, either gender |
| كتير حلوة | ktīr ḥelwe | to a woman |
قمر is a quick compliment among friends and family and in flirting. It stays the same for both genders.
How does it change in a sentence?
حلو (ḥelo) is for a man and حلوة (ḥelwe) for a woman. كتير (ktīr) means "very".
How do you pronounce it?
Lebanese speakers say ق as a glottal stop, so قمر sounds like "ʾamar". Standard Arabic says "qamar".
Did you know?
- Calling someone قمر (ʾamar) is an old Arabic compliment, and the moon has been a symbol of beauty in Arabic poetry for centuries.
Examples in context
- شو قمر هالفستان!shū ʾamar hal-fustān!How gorgeous this dress is!
- إنتِ كتير حلوة اليومinti ktīr ḥelwe el-yōmYou look very pretty today.
- يا قمر!yā ʾamar!You gorgeous one!
Example conversation
Rana shows her cousin Lina a photo of her new dress in Saida.
- Ranaشوفي فستاني الجديدshūfi fustāni l-jdīdLook at my new dress.
- Linaيا قمر! كتير حلو عليكيyā ʾamar! ktīr ḥelo ʿalēkiGorgeous! It looks lovely on you.
- Ranaيسلمو، بتجنن؟yislamu, btijannin?Thanks, is it stunning?
