مطرقة
mṭarqa/mitˤ.ra.qa/Moroccan Arabic, feminine
The standard word for hammer in Arabic is مطرقة (mṭarqa) (miṭraqa), the tool for driving nails. If unsure, use مطرقة. Wiktionary also lists مِطْرَقَة (miṭraqa) and شَاكُوش (šākūš).
Meaning: tool (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| مطرقة | mṭarqa | /mitˤ.ra.qa/ /mtˤar.qa/ (Moroccan) |
Moroccan Arabic, feminine |
| مِطْرَقَة | miṭraqa | feminine | |
| شَاكُوش | šākūš | masculine | |
| قَدوم | 'adūm | Egyptian Arabic, masculine |
مطرقة is the word used in Modern Standard Arabic, written texts and hardware stores. It is widely understood, including in the Gulf.
Which one should you use?
مِطْرَقَة is the standard, formal word used in writing. شَاكُوش (šākūš) is the most common word in many spoken dialects, such as Levantine and Egyptian, in everyday conversation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine and Egyptian speech people usually say شَاكُوش. Some Egyptian dialects use قَدوم for a hammer or a similar heavy striking tool. In Moroccan Arabic the word is مطرقة, pronounced mṭarqa.
How does it change in a sentence?
مِطْرَقَة is a feminine noun. شَاكُوش is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /mitˤ.ra.qa/, three syllables. The t is heavy, said with the tongue pulled back and the q is made deep in the throat. In Moroccan Arabic it sounds like mṭarqa.
Did you know?
- The common word شَاكُوش is not originally Arabic but was borrowed from the Turkish word 'çekiç', which means 'hammer'.
- The verb طَرَقَ, which gives us مطرقة, is used in the expression طَرَقَ مَسَامِعِي to mean something 'reached my ears' or 'I heard a rumor'.
- The formal term مطرقة shares an ancient linguistic link with the Aramaic word מטרקא, showing the history of the tool spans across languages.
Examples in context
- للرجل الذي ليس عنده إلا مطرقة في طقم أدواته، تبدو كل مشكلة كالمسمار.To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail.مطرقة is the hammer in the saying that every problem looks like a nail.Tatoeba #607916 by Samer, translation #2292 by Zifre
- مطرقة خشبيةWooden hammer
- مطرقة معدنيةMetal hammer
- هاد مطرقة ديال الحديد.had miṭraqa dyal l-ḥidīd.This is an iron hammer.
- فين هي ديك مطرقة الكبيرة؟fin hiya dik miṭraqa l-kbīra?Where is that big hammer?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hammer” translations and entries مطرقة, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries مطرقة, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
