غُرْفَة
ḡurfafeminine
The Arabic word for room is غُرْفَة (ḡurfa). Wiktionary also lists حُجْرَة (ḥujra) and قَمَرَة (qamara).
Meaning: division in a building (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| غُرْفَة | ḡurfa | feminine |
| حُجْرَة | ḥujra | feminine |
| قَمَرَة | qamara | feminine |
| قَمْرَة | qamra | feminine |
| صَالَة | ṣāla | feminine |
| بَيْت | bayt | masculine |
The term refers to a division in a building. You can use it to specify different types of rooms by adding the room's function, such as غُرْفَة النَوْم for bedroom, غُرْفَة الجَلوس for living room and غُرْفَة الطَعَام for dining room.
Which one should you use?
While غُرْفَة refers to a standard room, صَالَة is used specifically for a large room, hall or living area. The word حُجْرَة is often used in more formal, literary or classical contexts to describe a room or a chamber.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Iraq and certain Levantine dialects, حُجْرَة may be used instead of غُرْفَة. In some North African regions, such as Morocco, بَيْت is used interchangeably to mean either a house or a room.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of غُرْفَة is غُرَف.
How do you pronounce it?
ḡurfa
Did you know?
- The word غُرْفَة comes from a root meaning 'to scoop' or 'to take a portion', implying that a room is a 'scooped out' portion of a larger building.
- The term قَمَرَة for a small room is derived from the word قَمَر meaning 'moon', because the room allows a small amount of moonlight to enter.
- The word بَيْت means both 'house' and 'room' in Morocco, but it also refers to a single line of poetry in classical Arabic literature.
Examples in context
- أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَرَى الْغُرْفَةَ.I should like to see the room.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to see the غُرْفَة.Tatoeba #2691346 by Lameen, translation #436957 by lukaszpp
- أنا في غُرْفَتِي في الفندق.I am in my hotel room.
- اختفى أحمد في شُقَّتِهِ.Ahmed disappeared into his room/apartment.
- الْغُرْفَةُ كَبِيرَةٌ جِدًّا.al-ghurfatu kabīratun jiddan.The room is very large.
- هَلْ هَذِهِ غُرْفَةُ النَّوْمِ؟hal hādhihi ghurfatu an-nawm?Is this the bedroom?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “room” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
