الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط
aš-šarq al-ʔawsaṭmasculine
The English phrase "middle east" is translated into Arabic as الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط (aš-šarq al-ʔawsaṭ). Wiktionary also lists مَشْرِق (mašriq).
Meaning: region comprising Western Asia without the South Caucasus and additionally including all of Egypt and all of Turkey (name)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط | aš-šarq al-ʔawsaṭ | masculine |
| مَشْرِق | mašriq | masculine |
The term refers to the region comprising Western Asia without the South Caucasus and additionally including all of Egypt and all of Turkey.
Which one should you use?
الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط specifically refers to the Middle East, whereas مَشْرِق is a more general term used to refer to the Orient or the Eastern part of the Arab world.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase functions as a proper noun phrase and is masculine in gender.
How do you pronounce it?
aš-šarq al-ʔawsaṭ
Did you know?
- While الشرق الأوسط is a direct translation of 'Middle East', many people in the region consider the term an imperialist invention from a Western-centric perspective.
- The adjective أَوْسَط in الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط is the superlative form of 'middle', literally describing the region as the 'most middle' part of the East.
- The term مَشْرِق is derived from the root for 'sunrise', reflecting a world-view where the East is the place where the sun rises.
Examples in context
- هِيَ تَدْرُسُ تَارِيخَ الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط.hiya tadrusu tārīkha ash-sharqi al-awsaṭ.She is studying Middle East history.
- يُوجَدُ صِرَاعٌ فِي الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط.yūjadu ṣirāʿun fī ash-sharqi al-awsaṭ.There is a conflict in the Middle East.
- السِّيَاسَةُ فِي الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط مُعَقَّدَةٌ.as-siyāsatu fī ash-sharqi al-awsaṭ muʿaqqadatun.Politics in the Middle East is complicated.
Example conversation
Maryam and Ziad are discussing their future travel plans.
- مريم Maryamأريد زيارة الشَّرْق الْأَوْسَط في الصيف.Uridu ziyarat ash-sharq al-awsat fi as-sayf.I want to visit the Middle East in the summer.
- زياد Ziadهذه فكرة رائعة يا مريم.Hadhihi fikra ra'i'a ya Maryam.That is a great idea, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamأي دولة تنصحني بها يا زياد؟Ayya dawla tansahuni biha ya Ziyad?Which country do you recommend, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadأنصحك بزيارة مصر أولاً.Ansahuki biziyarat Misr awwalan.I recommend visiting Egypt first.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “middle east” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
