Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| شعر | šaʕr | /ʃa.ʕar/ /ʃiʕr/ |
Egyptian Arabic, collective, masculine |
| شَعْر | šaʕr | ||
| شَعْرَة | šaʕra | feminine | |
| شعرة | šaʕra | Egyptian Arabic, feminine, singulative |
The term شعر is the general word for hair and can be used to describe both the hair on a person's head and body hair. You can use it to describe various hair types, such as شَعْرٌ مُجَعَّدٌ (curly hair), شَعْرٌ مُمْوَجٌّ (wavy hair) or شَعْرٌ كَثِيفٌ (thick hair). It is also used with colors, including شَعْرٌ أَشْقَرُ (blonde hair), شَعْرٌ بُنِّيٌّ (brunette hair), شَعْرٌ أَسْوَدُ (black hair), شَعْرٌ أَحْمَرُ (red hair) and شَعْرٌ رَمَادِيٌّ (gray hair).
Which one should you use?
شَعْر is a collective noun used when referring to hair as a whole mass, such as the hair on someone's head. In contrast, شَعْرَة is the singulative form used when you are referring to a single strand or a very small section of hair.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, both شعر and شعرة are used to denote the masculine collective and feminine singulative forms respectively.
How does it change in a sentence?
شَعْر functions as a collective noun, whereas شَعْرَة is the singulative form used to denote a single hair.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ʃa.ʕar/ (šaʕr).
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the word شعر can also mean 'poetry' depending on the vowel markings. While it refers to 'hair' when pronounced with a fatḥa on the first letter, it refers to 'poetry' when it is used as a verb or a different noun form.
- The word for 'hair' shares a linguistic root with the Hebrew words שיר ('shir') and שירה ('shirá'), which refer to 'song' and 'poetry'.
- In some Arabic idioms, the phrase 'by a hair' (شعرة) is used to describe a very narrow escape or a tiny margin of difference, similar to the English expression.
Examples in context
- قص توم شعر ماري.Tom cut Mary's hair.This sentence shows the use of شعر to describe cutting someone's hair.Tatoeba #1568663 by Amastan, translation #1094995 by CK
- توقّف عن شدّ شعريStop pulling my hair!This sentence uses شعر to express a command regarding pulling hair.Tatoeba #5117541 by Hosam, translation #1667073 by Spamster
- أحب أن أمشط شعري.I like to comb my hair.This sentence demonstrates the use of شعر in the context of combing one's hair.Tatoeba #11252795 by Amghar, translation #1762511 by Amastan
- شَعْرُهُ أسْوَدُ وَطَوِيلٌ.His hair is black and long.
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariam and Omar are talking about a new haircut.
- مريم Maryamشفت شعرك الجديد يا عمر؟Shoft sha'rak el-gedid ya Omar?Did you see your new hair, Omar?
- عمر Omarأيوه، هل شكل شعري كويس؟Aywa, hal shakl sha'ri kwayes?Yes, does my hair look good?
- مريم Maryamشعرِك جميل جداً دلوقتي.Sha'rak gamil geddan delwa'ti.Your hair is very beautiful now.
- عمر Omarشكراً يا مريم.Shukran ya Mariam.Thank you, Mariam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hair” translations and entries شعر, شعرة, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries شعر, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
