Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| برتقال | burtaqāl | /bur.tu.qaːl/ /bʊrtəqɑːl/ |
Gulf Arabic, masculine |
| ٌبُرْتُقَال | unburtuqāl | collective, masculine | |
| بُرْتُقَالَةٌ | burtuqālatun | feminine, singulative | |
| بُرْتُقالة | burtuqāla | Hijazi Arabic, feminine | |
| بُرْتُقال | burtuqāla, burtugāl | Hijazi Arabic, collective, masculine | |
| ليمون | līmūn, laymūn | /laj.muːn/ | Moroccan Arabic, masculine |
| لتشين | lečīn | Moroccan Arabic, Northern, masculine | |
| بردقان | burdʔān | South Levantine Arabic, collective, masculine | |
| بردقانة | burdʔāne | South Levantine Arabic, masculine, singulative |
The word برتقال refers to the orange fruit. To describe the color orange, use the related adjective بُرْتُقَالِيّ.
Which one should you use?
The collective form ٌبُرْتُقَال is used to refer to the fruit as a general category or a substance, while the singulative form بُرْتُقَالَةٌ is used to refer to one individual orange. In some contexts, the adjective بُرْتُقَالِيّ is used to specifically denote the color.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Levant (such as Lebanon, Syria and Palestine), بُرتَقَال is commonly used for both the fruit and the color. In South Levantine Arabic, بردقان is a common term for the fruit and its singulative form is بردقانة. In some Moroccan Arabic dialects, ليمون is used for oranges, even though this word typically means lemon in Standard Arabic. In Northern Moroccan Arabic, the word لتشين is also used. In Hijazi Arabic, you may encounter the collective masculine form بُرْتُقال or the feminine singulative form بُرْتُقالة. In Gulf Arabic, the form برتقال is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a single orange rather than the fruit in general, use the singulative form بُرْتُقَالَة.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /bur.tu.qaːl/ (burtaqāl).
Did you know?
- The name for this fruit is a 'doublet' of the word for 'Portugal', meaning the word for orange and the name of the country are etymologically linked.
- The Arabic term for the fruit was likely borrowed from the Greek word πορτοκάλι, which itself comes from a Portuguese root.
Examples in context
- إني أغرس شجرة برتقال.I am planting an orange tree.This sentence shows the use of the collective form برتقال to describe an orange tree.Tatoeba #11619778 by dididodo, translation #1686671 by Amastan
- هناك برتقالة على الطاولة.There is an orange on the table.This sentence demonstrates using the singulative form برتقال to refer to one orange on a table.Tatoeba #376238 by saeb, translation #39619 by CK
- كانت لون السماء بنفسجيا أو برتقاليا.The sky was purple or orange.This sentence shows how the word برتقال can be used to describe a color.Tatoeba #11792442 by dididodo, translation #11244872 by Amastan
- اللون الذي أحبه هو اللون البرتقاليّ.The color I like is orange.
- لا تنسَ شراء بُرتَقَال للفطور.Don't forget to buy oranges for breakfast.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maryam and Ziad are at the grocery store.
- مريم Maryamزياد، هل تريد شراء برتقال؟Ziyad, hal tureed shira' burtuqal?Ziad, do you want to buy some oranges?
- زياد Ziadنعم، أحب عصير البرتقال كثيراً.Na'am, uhibb aseer al-burtuqal katheeran.Yes, I love orange juice very much.
- مريم Maryamسأضع بعض البرتقال في السلة إذاً.Sa'ada' ba'd al-burtuqal fee al-salla idhan.I will put some oranges in the basket then.
- زياد Ziadشكراً لكِ يا مريم.Shukran laki ya Maryam.Thank you, Maryam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orange” translations and entries برتقال, ليمون, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries برتقال, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
