Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| موسيقى | musīga | /muː.siː.qaː/ | Hijazi Arabic, feminine |
| مُوسِيقَى f or مُوسِيقَا | mūsīqā | feminine | |
| طَرَب | ṭarab | masculine | |
| مزّيكا | mazzīka | Egyptian Arabic, feminine |
Arabic uses different words for music depending on whether you are referring to the art form itself or the specific emotional state induced by a performance.
Which one should you use?
While موسيقى refers to music as a general concept or an art form, طَرَب is used specifically to describe the emotional state of musical enchantment or the soulful quality of a performance.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
موسيقى is the formal way to say music in Arabic. For informal contexts, you can use موزيكا or the colloquial مزّيكا.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt, people may use the term مزّيكا instead of موزيكا. Additionally, the form موسيقى is used in Hijazi-Arabic.
How does it change in a sentence?
The standard word موسيقى is a feminine noun, so any accompanying adjectives or verbs should agree with its feminine gender.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /muː.siː.qaː/. It has three syllables.
Did you know?
- The word موسيقى is a direct loanword from the Ancient Greek mousikḗ, which refers to the art of the Muses.
- In Arabic culture, a person who is an expert at inducing طَرَب is called a مطرِب, a title higher than just being a singer.
- Historically, the concept of طَرَب was central to the 'Tarab' salons of Cairo and Baghdad, where audiences would shout phrases of approval to the singer.
Examples in context
- سامي يحبّ موسيقى الكاونتري.Sami loves country music.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for a specific genre using موسيقى.Tatoeba #6980747 by OsoHombre, translation #6484961 by OsoHombre
- موسيقايَ المضلة هي موسيقى البوب.My favorite music is pop music.This sentence shows how to identify a favorite genre using موسيقى.Tatoeba #3064687 by altusi, translation #251411 by CK
- كان سامي لا يزال يسمع موسيقى النّادي في آذانه.Sami could still hear the music from the club in his ears.This sentence illustrates a situation where one can still hear music using موسيقى.Tatoeba #7295078 by OsoHombre, translation #7205444 by OsoHombre
- أنا أحب الموسيقى الكلاسيكية.I love classical music.
- أعتقد أن الموسيقى تصف العواطف بشكل جميل.I believe that music describes emotions beautifully.
- لا يمكنني العيش بدون الموسيقى.I cannot live without music.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laila and Ahmed are at a cafe.
- ليلى Laylaالـموسيقى دي جميلة أوي.al-musiqa di gamila awi.This music is very beautiful.
- أحمد Ahmedفعلاً، هي موسيقى هادية.fe'lan, hiya musiqa hadya.Indeed, it is calm music.
- ليلى Laylaتحب تسمع موسيقى كلاسيك؟tihib tisma' musiqa klassik?Do you like listening to classical music?
- أحمد Ahmedأيوه، بحب الـموسيقى دي.aywa, bahib al-musiqa di.Yes, I love this music.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “music” translations and entries موسيقى, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries موسيقى, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
