Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| مُلْك | mulk | masculine |
| مَال | māl | masculine |
Arabic uses different words for property depending on whether you are discussing the legal concept of ownership, tangible wealth or specific types of assets like real estate.
Which one should you use?
The term مُلْك refers more to the concept of ownership or the legal right to possess something. In contrast, مَال refers more to material wealth, money or tangible assets/property. When referring specifically to real estate or immovable property such as land, buildings or houses, the word عقار is used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the word أملاك is commonly used to refer to property encompassing both movable and immovable assets. In Levantine Arabic, عقار is widely understood to denote real estate or property.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both مُلْك and مَال are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization of مُلْك is mulk.
Did you know?
- The word مُلْك is the root for the term مَلِك, meaning 'king'. This reflects the historical idea that a king is the ultimate owner of all the property in his realm.
- The word for real estate, عقار, comes from a root meaning 'to hinder' or 'to stop'. This is a poetic way of describing land as 'immovable' property that cannot be carried away.
- Historically, the word مَال was used to describe livestock, which served as the primary form of 'property' in ancient nomadic societies.
Examples in context
- ورثت هذه الممتلكات من والديّ.I inherited this property from my parents.
- يمتلك العديد من العقارات.He owns several real estate properties.
- اعترفت المحكمة بملكيتها للعقار المتنازع عليه.The court recognized her ownership of the disputed property.
- شريت عقار جديد البارحة!I bought a new property yesterday!
- هي للحين باعت أملاكها بسعر كويس جداً.She just sold her property for a great price.
- هذا البيت هو مُلْك لِعائلتي.hādha al-baytu huwa mulkun li-'ā'ilatī.This house is the property of my family.
- هل هذا المَكان مُلْك لَكَ؟hal hādha al-makānu mulkun laka?Is this place your property?
- كُلُّ مُلْكٍ بَشَرِيٍّ يَتَغَيَّرُ مَعَ الزَّمَنِ.kullu milkin bashariyyin yataghayyaru ma'a al-zaman.All human property changes with time.
Example conversation
Nour and Ziyad are discussing a piece of land.
- نور Nourهل هذه الأرض مُلْك لك يا زياد؟Hal hadhihi al-ard mulk laka ya Ziyad?Is this land your property, Ziyad?
- زياد Ziadلا، إنها مُلْك لجدي.La, innaha mulk li-jaddi.No, it is my grandfather's property.
- نور Nourهل يريد بيعها؟Hal yuridu bay'aha?Does he want to sell it?
- زياد Ziadلا، هو يحب هذا المكان كثيراً.La, huwa yuhibbu hadha al-makan kathiran.No, he loves this place very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “property” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
