كيف حالكِ؟
kayfa ḥāluki?to a woman, standard
To text a woman "how are you" in standard Arabic, write كيف حالكِ؟ (kayfa ḥāluki?). Friends often use dialect, such as كيفكِ؟ (kīfik?) in the Levant and إزيّك؟ (izzayyik?) in Egypt.
Meaning: question asking about a woman's well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كيف حالكِ؟ | kayfa ḥāluki? | to a woman, standard |
| كيفكِ؟ | kīfik? | to a woman, Levantine |
| إزيّك؟ | izzayyik? | to a woman, Egyptian |
In chat, many people type Arabic in Latin letters, for example "kifik" or "izzayyik", but the Arabic script is better for formal messages.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending -كِ (-ki) addresses a woman. For a man the same question ends in -كَ (-ka), as in كيف حالك؟ (kayfa ḥāluk?).
Did you know?
- كيف (kayf) means "how". The Levantine كيفك (kīfik) is a shortened form of the standard كيف حالك (kayfa ḥāluk).
Examples in context
- كيف حالكِ اليوم؟kayfa ḥāluki l-yawm?How are you today? (to a woman)
- كيفك يا ليلى؟kīfik yā Laylā?How are you, Layla?
Example conversation
Omar sends a message to his friend Reem to ask how she is.
- Omarمرحبا ريم، كيفك؟Marḥaba Rīm, kīfik?Hi Reem, how are you?
- Reemالحمد لله، وإنت؟Al-ḥamdu lillāh, w inta?Fine, thank God, and you?
- Omarتمام، شكراً.Tamām, shukran.Good, thanks.
