بِكَم
bikam
In Arabic, "how much" is expressed as بِكَم (bikam). Wiktionary also lists بِكَمْ هٰذَا؟ (bikam hāḏā?).
Meaning: what is the cost/price? (det)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| بِكَم | bikam |
| بِكَمْ هٰذَا؟ | bikam hāḏā? |
The phrase is used to ask for the cost or price of an item. While بِكَم can stand alone, you can use بِكَمْ هٰذَا؟ to say "How much is this?" which makes the question feel more complete and natural when you are pointing to a specific object.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase بِكَم is composed of the preposition bi- (meaning "with" or "by") and the interrogative particle kam (meaning "how much" or "how many"), literally translating to "with how much".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the form بكام؟ is used to mean "how much?"
How do you pronounce it?
bikam
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking markets, asking بِكَم is only the first step of a social ritual. It is common and expected for the buyer to negotiate the price, and accepting the first quoted price can sometimes be seen as a lack of savvy.
- The preposition بِـ in بِكَم can also be used to indicate the tool used to do something. This makes the phrase literally ask what the item is exchanged 'with', reflecting the ancient roots of bartering.
- The root of the word كَم is shared across many Semitic languages. In Hebrew, the word כמה (kama) serves the exact same purpose of asking 'how much' or 'how many'.
Examples in context
- من فضلك، كم الثَّمَن؟Excuse me, how much is the price?
- كم ثَمَنُهَا؟How much does it cost?
- بِكَمْ هٰذَا القَمِيصُ؟bi kam hadha al-qamis?How much is this shirt?
- بِكَمْ تَبِيعُ هٰذَا الكِتَابَ؟bi kam tabi'u hadha al-kitab?How much are you selling this book for?
Example conversation
Nour and Ahmed are at a local market.
- نور Nourبِكَمْ هٰذَا الفِنْجَانُ؟bi kam hadha al-finjan?How much is this cup?
- أحمد Ahmedعِشْرُونَ رِيَالاً فَقَطْ.ishrun riyalan faqat.Only twenty riyals.
- نور Nourهَلْ هٰذَا سِعْرٌ جَيِّدٌ؟hal hadha si'run jayyid?Is this a good price?
- أحمد Ahmedنَعَمْ، إِنَّهُ رَخِيصٌ جِدّاً.na'am, innahu rakhis jiddan.Yes, it is very cheap.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how much” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
