خَيَلَان
ḵayalānfeminine
The English word mermaid is خَيَلَان (ḵayalān) in Arabic. Wiktionary also lists اِبْنَة الْبَحْر and حُورِيَّة الْبَحْر.
Meaning: mythological woman with a fish’s tail (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| خَيَلَان | ḵayalān | feminine |
| اِبْنَة الْبَحْر | feminine | |
| حُورِيَّة الْبَحْر | feminine | |
| عَرُوسَة الْبَحْر | feminine | |
| حُورِيَّة الْمَاء | feminine |
The term refers to a mythological woman with a fish's tail. In modern standard Arabic and many dialects, عَرُوسَة الْبَحْر is the most common and widely understood term for a mermaid.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase عَرُوسَة الْبَحْر literally means sea bride, while اِبْنَة الْبَحْر translates literally to daughter of the sea.
Which one should you use?
عَرُوسَة الْبَحْر (sea bride) is a common way to refer to a mermaid, whereas حُورِيَّة الْبَحْر (sea nymph) is often used in more poetic or mythological contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms for mermaid are feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
ḵayalān
Did you know?
- The term حُورِيَّة الْبَحْر connects the mermaid to the concept of 'Houri', which in Islamic tradition refers to the beautiful celestial beings of paradise.
- In some Arabic dialects, the word عَرُوسَة (bride) is used as a general compliment to describe any object that is exceptionally beautiful or a 'showpiece'.
- Because the common terms for mermaid are inherently feminine, Arabic does not have a simple grammatical gender flip to describe a merman.
Examples in context
- حورية البحر هي مخلوقة تحكي الأساطير العربية عن أنها تسكن قاع البحار.Houriyyah al-Bahr is a creature that Arabian myths depict dwelling at the bottom of the seas.
- في القصص القديمة، كان يقال أن عروسة البحر تجلب الحظ السعيد للصيادين.In old tales, it was said that the bride of the sea brings good luck to fishermen.
Example conversation
Maryam and Ziyad are reading a fairy tale book together.
- مريم Maryamانظر يا زياد، هذه خَيَلَان تعيش في البحر.Unzur ya Ziyad, hadhihi khayalan ta'ish fi al-bahr.Look Ziyad, this is a mermaid living in the sea.
- زياد Ziadتبدو رائعة جداً بذيلها الملون.Tabdu ra'i'a jiddan bi-dhayliha al-mulawwan.She looks wonderful with her colorful tail.
- مريم Maryamهل تظن أن الخَيَلَان تغني للبشر؟Hal tadhun anna al-khayalan tughanni lil-bashar?Do you think the mermaid sings to humans?
- زياد Ziadنعم، هذا ما تقوله الأساطير القديمة.Na'am, hadha ma taquluhu al-asatir al-qadima.Yes, that is what the old legends say.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mermaid” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
