كيف حالكِ؟
kayfa halukito a woman, standard
To ask a woman "how are you?" in Arabic, say كيف حالكِ؟ (kayfa haluki). The ending ـكِ (ki) marks the woman, and the male form is كيف حالك؟ (kayfa haluka). It is also called كيفِك؟ (kifik) and إزيك؟ (izzayyik).
Meaning: asking about well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كيف حالكِ؟ | kayfa haluki | to a woman, standard |
| كيفِك؟ | kifik | Levantine, to a woman |
| إزيك؟ | izzayyik | Egyptian, to a woman |
A woman answers الحمد لله، بخير (alhamdulillah, bikhayr), "thank God, I am well", and returns the question with وأنتِ؟ (wa anti).
Is it said differently in some regions?
Gulf speakers say شلونج؟ (shlonich) or شلونك؟ (shlonik) to a woman, depending on the local dialect.
How does it change in a sentence?
In colloquial Arabic the ending is -ik: Levantine كيفك؟ (kifik) and Egyptian إزيك؟ (izzayyik). In writing without marks, the form for a woman often looks the same as for a man.
Did you know?
- In the Gulf the feminine ending -ki is often spoken as -ch, so a woman may hear شلونج (shlonich).
Examples in context
- كيف حالكِ يا ليلى؟kayfa haluki ya laylaHow are you, Layla?
- كيفك يا ماما؟kifik ya mamaHow are you, Mom?
- إزيك يا دكتورة؟izzayyik ya doktoraHow are you, doctor?
Example conversation
Faisal visits his aunt Noura and asks how she is.
- Faisalكيف حالكِ يا خالتي؟kayfa haluki ya khaltiHow are you, auntie?
- Nouraالحمد لله بخير، وأنت؟alhamdulillah bikhayr, wa antaWell, thank God, and you?
- Faisalبخير ما دمتِ بخيرbikhayr ma dumti bikhayrI am well as long as you are.
