يمين
yimīn/ja.miːn/Egyptian Arabic
The English phrase 'right' (meaning the direction) is translated into Arabic as 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 |
This term is used to denote the direction that is opposite to the left, which is يسار.
Which one should you use?
Use يَمِين (yamīn) for the general term and يمين (yimīn) when speaking Egyptian Arabic.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, the expression أَكِيد means Sure/right and طَبَعًا means Of course.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe moving or turning toward the right, you can use the adverbial form يمينًا (yamīnan) to indicate the direction of movement.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ja.miːn/ (yimīn). It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- Arabic culture places a strong emphasis on the 'right side'. Traditionally, eating, drinking and handing objects to others are done exclusively with the يمين hand, as the left is reserved for hygiene.
- In Arabic, the word يمين is also the word used for taking an 'oath'. When someone swears a solemn promise, they are effectively saying they are speaking with their 'right hand'.
- Because Arabic is written from right to left, the يمين side of a page is where a reader begins their journey into a text, unlike in English.
Examples in context
- يؤلمني سن العقل في أعلى يمين أسناني.My upper right wisdom tooth hurts.This sentence shows how to use يمين to describe the location of a tooth.Tatoeba #665642 by Samer, translation #27060 by CK
- انعطفتُ يمينًا.I turned right.This sentence demonstrates the use of يمين to describe a turn.Tatoeba #824125 by Samer, translation #258392 by CK
- لف يمين، من فضلك.Please turn to the right.This sentence provides an example of using يمين to request a turn to the right.Tatoeba #13152300 by atitarev, translation #6354980 by CK
- صَحِيحٌ، هل تتكلم اللغة العربية؟Right, do you speak Arabic?
- أنت على صوابYou are right.
- تمام، صَحّ؟All good, right?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Omar and Layla are walking down a street together.
- عمر Omarالمطعم على اليمين هنا.Al-mat'am 'ala el-yameen hona.The restaurant is on the right here.
- ليلى Laylaأنا شايفة محل ملابس يمين.Ana shayfa mahal malabes yameen.I see a clothing store to the right.
- عمر Omarخلينا نمشي يمين شوية.Khalina nimshi yameen shwaya.Let's walk right a little bit.
- ليلى Laylaتمام، أنا معاك يا عمر.Tamam, ana ma'ak ya Omar.Okay, I am with you, Omar.
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.
