بُوصَة
būṣafeminine
The English phrase inch is translated into Arabic as بُوصَة (būṣa). Wiktionary also lists شِبْر (šibr).
Meaning: English unit of length and traditional equivalents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| بُوصَة | būṣa | feminine |
| شِبْر | šibr | masculine |
بُوصَة is used to refer specifically to the English unit of measurement. Another term, شِبْر, refers to a traditional unit of length roughly equal to the span of a hand.
Which one should you use?
بُوصَة refers to the specific English unit of measurement, whereas شِبْر is a traditional measurement approximately equal to a hand span.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of بُوصَة is بُوصَات.
How do you pronounce it?
būṣa
Did you know?
- The word بُوصَة is derived from the word for 'reed' or 'cane'. In ancient times, reeds were often used as measuring sticks because of their straightness and availability.
- The concept of a 'span' or شِبْر appears in classical Arabic poetry to describe a very small distance or a short amount of time.
- The traditional measurement شِبْر is not a fixed length but varies by the individual, as it is measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky finger when the hand is fully spread.
Examples in context
- أرجوك قم بقياس الورقة، فأنا أحتاجها بطول بوصة واحدة.Please measure the paper, as I need it to be one inch long.
- أريد شراء بطانية طولها ستون إنشاً.I want to buy a blanket that is sixty inches long.
- هل زاد العرض بمقدار بُوصَة؟hal zada al-'ard bi-miqdar buusa?Did the width increase by one inch?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “inch” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
