الْيُونَان
al-yūnāndefinite, feminine
Greece in Arabic is الْيُونَان (al-yūnān). Wiktionary also lists إِغْرِيقِيَا f or إِغْرِيقْيَا (ʔiḡrīqiyā).
Meaning: country in Southeastern Europe (name)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| الْيُونَان | al-yūnān | definite, feminine |
| إِغْرِيقِيَا f or إِغْرِيقْيَا | ʔiḡrīqiyā | feminine |
The term refers to the country located in Southeastern Europe.
Which one should you use?
الْيُونَان is the most common way to refer to the country in both modern standard Arabic and daily speech. In contrast, إِغْرِيقِيَا is a more formal, classical-sounding name often used in historical or academic contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe something as Greek, use the adjective الْيُونَانِيّ for masculine nouns and الْيُونَانِيَّة for feminine nouns. To refer to a Greek person in the masculine, use the noun الْيُونَانِيّ.
How do you pronounce it?
al-yūnān
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the word for the modern country الْيُونَان is technically a plural noun, following a pattern for certain ancient ethnic group names.
- The Arabic name الْيُونَان is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'Ionian', as both derive from 'Ionia', a specific region of ancient Asia Minor.
- While الْيُونَان is used for the modern state, the term إِغْرِيقِيَا is almost exclusively used when discussing Ancient Greece and its philosophers.
Examples in context
- أنا أرغب في زيارة اليونان.I wish to visit Greece.
- أُرِيدُ السَّفَرَ إِلَى الْيُونَانِ.urīdu as-safara ilā al-yūnān.I want to travel to Greece.
- الْيُونَانُ بَلَدٌ جَمِيلٌ جِدًّا.al-yūnānu baladun jamīlun jiddan.Greece is a very beautiful country.
- هَلْ زُرْتَ الْيُونَانَ مِنْ قَبْلُ؟hal zurta al-yūnāna min qablu?Have you visited Greece before?
Example conversation
Nour and Omar are discussing their travel plans at a cafe.
- نور Nourهَلْ تُحِبُّ السَّفَرَ إِلَى الْيُونَانِ؟hal tuḥibbu as-safara ilā al-yūnān?Do you like traveling to Greece?
- عمر Omarنَعَمْ، أَنَا أُحِبُّ الْيُونَانَ كَثِيرًا.na'am, ana uḥibbu al-yūnāna kathīran.Yes, I like Greece a lot.
- نور Nourأَنَا أَيْضًا أُرِيدُ الذَّهَابَ إِلَيْهَا.ana ayḍan urīdu adh-dhahāba ilayhā.I also want to go there.
- عمر Omarهَيَّا نُخَطِّطُ لِلسَّفَرِ مَعًا!hayyā nukhāṭṭiṭu lis-safari ma'an!Let's plan the trip together!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greece” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
