لَحْن
laḥnmasculine
The English phrase melody is translated into Arabic as لَحْن (laḥn). Wiktionary also lists أُغْنِيَّة (ʔuḡniyya).
Meaning: sequence of notes that makes up a musical phrase (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لَحْن | laḥn | masculine |
| أُغْنِيَّة | ʔuḡniyya | feminine |
The term refers to a sequence of notes that makes up a musical phrase.
Which one should you use?
لَحْن refers specifically to the musical tune or melody itself, whereas أُغْنِيَّة refers to an entire song, which includes the lyrics.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun لَحْن has the plural form أَلْحَان. The feminine noun أُغْنِيَّة has the plural form أَغَانِي.
How do you pronounce it?
laḥn
Did you know?
- In classical Arabic, the word لَحْن was historically used to describe a grammatical mistake or a slip of the tongue. It referred to a 'deviation' from the correct rules of speech, much like a melody deviates from a single note.
- Arabic music utilizes 'maqamat', melodic modes that include quarter tones. Because of this, a لَحْن in Arabic can contain notes that sound 'out of tune' to an English speaker but are precisely intentional.
- While أُغْنِيَّة is used for a song, the term طرب describes the specific emotional ecstasy or enchantment a listener feels when hearing a beautiful لَحْن.
Examples in context
- أعجبني لحن هذه الأغنية.I liked the melody of this song.
- تلك المقطوعة رائعة!That melody is wonderful!
- جمال الألحان الخليجية يجذب الكثير من المستمعين.The beauty of Gulf melodies attracts a large number of listeners.
- هذا لَحْنٌ جميلٌ جِدًّا.hadha lahnun jamilun jiddan.This is a very beautiful melody.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “melody” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
