Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لُؤْلُؤَة | luʔluʔa | feminine, singulative |
| لُؤْلُؤ | luʔluʔ | collective, masculine |
| جَوْهَر | jawhar | masculine |
The primary terms for pearl are used to describe the rounded concretion produced by mollusks. While لُؤْلُؤ refers to pearls as a general substance or group, لُؤْلُؤَة is used when you want to specify a single pearl.
Which one should you use?
The form لُؤْلُؤ is a collective noun used to describe pearls in general or the substance itself. In contrast, the singulative form لُؤْلُؤَة is used to denote a single, individual pearl. Additionally, the word جَوْهَر can be used metaphorically to mean a gem or the essence and substance of something, whereas the other forms focus on the biological pearl.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word لُؤْلُؤ is a masculine collective noun. The singulative form لُؤْلُؤَة is feminine. جَوْهَر is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
luʔluʔa
Did you know?
- In classical Arabic poetry, the word لُؤْلُؤ is frequently used as a metaphor for teeth, describing them as 'pearls' to indicate they are white, aligned and precious.
- The word لُؤْلُؤ appears multiple times in the Quran to describe the beauty of paradise, often paired with corals to symbolize the ultimate luxury of the afterlife.
- In certain historical contexts, calling someone's speech لُؤْلُؤ suggests their words are flowing smoothly and beautifully, like a string of pearls.
Examples in context
- هَذِهِ لُؤْلُؤَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ جَمِيلَةٌ.hadhihi lu'lu'atun bayda'u jamilatun.This is a beautiful white pearl.
- اشْتَرَيْتُ لُؤْلُؤَةً نَادِرَةً مِنَ الْبَحْرِ.ishtaraytu lu'lu'atan nadiratan min al-bahr.I bought a rare pearl from the sea.
- تَلْمَعُ كُلُّ لُؤْلُؤَةٍ تَحْتَ الضَّوْءِ.talma'u kullu lu'lu'atin tahta al-daw'.Every pearl shines under the light.
Example conversation
Layla shows Omar a gift she found in a seashell.
- ليلى Laylaانْظُرْ يَا عُمَرُ، لَقَدْ وَجَدْتُ لُؤْلُؤَةً!unzur ya 'umar, laqad wajadtu lu'lu'atan!Look, Omar, I found a pearl!
- عمر Omarإِنَّهَا لُؤْلُؤَةٌ رَائِعَةٌ جِدًّا.innaha lu'lu'atun ra'i'atun jiddan.It is a very wonderful pearl.
- ليلى Laylaهَلْ تَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ لُؤْلُؤَةً وَاحِدَةً ثَمِينَةٌ؟hal ta'taqidu anna lu'lu'atan wahidatan thamina?Do you think one single pearl is valuable?
- عمر Omarبِالطَّبْعِ، هَذِهِ لُؤْلُؤَةٌ نَادِرَةٌ.bi-al-tab'i, hadhihi lu'lu'atun nadira.Of course, this is a rare pearl.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pearl” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
