قَرْع
qarʕmasculine
The English phrase pumpkin can be translated into Arabic as قَرْع (qarʕ). Wiktionary also lists يَقْطِين (yaqṭīn) and دُبَاء (dubāʔ).
Meaning: fruit of this plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قَرْع | qarʕ | masculine |
| يَقْطِين | yaqṭīn | masculine |
| دُبَاء | dubāʔ | feminine |
All three terms refer to the fruit of this plant.
Which one should you use?
يَقْطِين is a more formal or classical term often found in religious or literary texts, and دُبَاء is a classical term for pumpkin, often used in a specific linguistic or historical context.
How do you pronounce it?
qarʕ
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking regions, the word يَقْطِين is not just a botanical term but is used in religious-historical contexts to identify the specific plant that grew over the Prophet Jonah after he emerged from the whale.
- While English speakers associate pumpkins with Halloween, in the Arab world, varieties of قَرْع are traditionally used in sweet dessert soups and stews rather than as carved lanterns.
- The word قَرْع shares a phonetic root with the Arabic verb meaning 'to strike' or 'to knock', creating a linguistic curiosity when describing the heavy, hard shell of the fruit.
Examples in context
- أمس قمت بطهي شوربة قرعة شهية بتوابل طازجة.Yesterday, I cooked a delicious pumpkin soup with fresh spices.
- هذا قَرْع كَبِيرٌ جِدًّا.hadha qar'un kabirun jiddan.This is a very large pumpkin.
- أَحْبَبْتُ طَعْمَ هَذَا الْقَرْعِ.ahbabtu ta'ma hadha al-qar'i.I loved the taste of this pumpkin.
- اِشْتَرَيْتُ قَرْعًا طَازَجًا مِنَ السُّوقِ.ishtaraytu qar'an tazajan min al-suq.I bought a fresh pumpkin from the market.
Example conversation
Youssef and Maryam are in the kitchen preparing a meal.
- يوسف Youssefهَلْ نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى قَرْعٍ لِلْحَسَاءِ؟hal nahtaju ila qar'in lil-hasa'i?Do we need pumpkin for the soup?
- مريم Maryamنَعَمْ، يَا يُوسُفُ، نَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ.na'am, ya Youssef, nahtaju ilayhi.Yes, Youssef, we need it.
- يوسف Youssefسَأَذْهَبُ لِإِحْضَارِ الْقَرْعِ الآنَ.sa-adhhabu li-ihdari al-qar'i al-an.I will go to get the pumpkin now.
- مريم Maryamشُكْرًا لَكَ، هَذَا رَائِعٌ.shukran laka, hadha ra'i'.Thank you, that is great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pumpkin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
