لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ
laymūn hindiyymasculine
The English word grapefruit is translated into Arabic as لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ (laymūn hindiyy). Wiktionary also lists جْرِيب فْرُوت (greyb frūt) and كْرِيفُون (krīfūn).
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ | laymūn hindiyy | masculine |
| جْرِيب فْرُوت | greyb frūt | masculine |
| كْرِيفُون | krīfūn | masculine |
| كَرِيفُون | karīfūn | masculine |
| زَنْبَاع | zanbāʕ | masculine |
| جْريْپ فْروت | grēp frūt | Egyptian Arabic |
| پومْپلْموس | pampelmūss | Moroccan Arabic |
| غْريْب فْروت | grēp frūt | South Levantine Arabic |
The term refers to the citrus fruit known as grapefruit.
What does it mean word for word?
The standard term لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ literally translates to 'Indian lemon'.
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to refer to this fruit depending on the linguistic approach. You can use the descriptive standard term لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ, various transliterations of the English word such as جْرِيب فْرُوت, كْرِيفُون, كَرِيفُون or the variant زَنْبَاع and زِنْباع.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt, the English loanword is often pronounced with a slightly different vowel emphasis as جْريْپ فْروت.
How do you pronounce it?
laymūn hindiyy
Did you know?
- The standard Arabic term لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ identifies the fruit as 'Indian' despite grapefruits being native to Barbados.
- Some Arabic speakers use the term پومْپلْموس, which is a direct loan from the French word 'pamplemousse' rather than the English 'grapefruit'.
- Because Arabic lacks a native 'p' sound, loanwords like جْرِيب فْرُوت often swap the 'p' for a 'b' or 'f' sound depending on the dialect.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
A woman is asking her husband about the fruit in the kitchen.
- نور Nourهَلْ هُنَاكَ لَيْمُون هِنْدِيّ فِي الثَّلَّاجَة؟hal hunāka laymūn hindī fī al-thallāja?Is there any grapefruit in the fridge?
- يوسف Youssefنَعَم، هُنَاكَ حَبَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَقَطْ.na'am, hunāka ḥabbatun wāḥidatun faqaṭ.Yes, there is only one piece.
- نور Nourهَلْ يُمْكِنُكَ إِحضَارُهَا لِي يَا يُوسُف؟hal yumkinuka iḥḍāruhā lī yā yūsuf?Can you bring it to me, Youssef?
- يوسف Youssefطَبْعًا، سَأَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ الآنَ.ṭab'an, sa-af'alu dhālika al-'ān.Of course, I will do that now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grapefruit” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
