يمين
yimīn/ja.miːn/Egyptian Arabic
The Arabic word for 'right' (of direction) is يمين (yimīn). Wiktionary also lists يَمِين (yamīn).
Meaning: of direction, opposite of left (adj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| يمين | yimīn | /ja.miːn/ | Egyptian Arabic |
| يَمِين | yamīn |
The word is used to denote the direction opposite of left, which is يسار.
Which one should you use?
The forms provided refer to the direction. Note that if you mean 'right' in the sense of a legal or moral entitlement, you should use the related forms حَقّ or حُقُوق instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form يمين (yimīn) is commonly used in Egyptian Arabic and in Gulf Arabic.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
yimīn (/ja.miːn/)
Did you know?
- Traditional etiquette in many Arabic-speaking cultures dictates using only the يمين for eating, drinking and shaking hands.
- In Arabic, the word يمين is also the word for 'oath'. To swear an oath, a person is literally 'taking a right'.
- The term يمين is used to describe the 'people of the right' (أصحاب اليمين), a group in Islamic eschatology destined for paradise.
Examples in context
- يؤلمني سن العقل في أعلى يمين أسناني.My upper right wisdom tooth hurts.This example shows the use of يمين to specify a location in the mouth.Tatoeba #665642 by Samer, translation #27060 by CK
- انعطفتُ يمينًا.I turned right.This example uses يمينًا as an adverbial form to indicate direction.Tatoeba #824125 by Samer, translation #258392 by CK
- لف يمين، من فضلك.Please turn to the right.This example uses يمين to indicate a direction to turn.Tatoeba #13152300 by atitarev, translation #6354980 by CK
- الشارع الصحيح هو على اليمين.The correct street is on the right.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Omar and Leila are looking for a specific shop in a mall.
- عمر Omarالمحل ده فين يا ليلى؟El mahall da feen ya Leila?Where is this shop, Leila?
- ليلى Laylaهو في أول شارع يمين.Howa fi awwal share' yamin.It is in the first street on the right.
- عمر Omarتمام، يعني نمشي على يمين؟Tamam, ya'ni nimshi 'ala yamin?Okay, so we go to the right?
- ليلى Laylaأيوه، بالضبط كده.Aywa, bazzabt keda.Yes, exactly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “right” translations and entries يمين, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
