حِذَاء
ḥiḏāʔmasculine
The Arabic word for shoe is حِذَاء (ḥiḏāʔ). Wiktionary also lists نَعْل (naʕl) and جَزْمَة (jazma).
Meaning: protective covering for the foot (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| حِذَاء | ḥiḏāʔ | masculine |
| نَعْل | naʕl | masculine |
| جَزْمَة | jazma | feminine |
The terms provided refer to different types of footwear, ranging from general closed shoes to open sandals.
Which one should you use?
حِذَاء is a general term for any type of shoe. In contrast, نَعْل specifically refers to a sandal, slipper or a more open type of footwear. جَزْمَة is also used to mean shoe, but it is more common in spoken dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The formal word حِذَاء has the broken plural form أَحْذِيَة, which means shoes.
How do you pronounce it?
ḥiḏāʔ
Did you know?
- The word حِذَاء comes from a root meaning 'to be equal' or 'to match', reflecting the fact that shoes come in a matching pair.
- The word حِذَاء is used in a different sense to mean 'next to' or 'beside' when describing the position of two objects.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, the soles of one's أَحْذِيَة are considered unclean, so pointing the sole of a shoe towards someone is viewed as a serious insult.
Examples in context
- هَذَا حِذَاءٌ جَدِيدٌ.hādha ḥidhā'un jadīd.This is a new shoe.
- الْحِذَاءُ مُرِيحٌ جِدًّا.al-ḥidhā'u murīḥun jiddan.The shoe is very comfortable.
Example conversation
Mariam and Yusuf are getting ready to leave the house.
- مريم Maryamهل وجدت حِذَاء يوسف؟Hal wajadta hidha' Yusuf?Did you find your shoe, Yusuf?
- يوسف Youssefلا، لا أراه هنا.La, la arahu huna.No, I don't see it here.
- مريم Maryamانظر، حِذَاء يوسف تحت الطاولة.Unzur, hidha' Yusuf tahta al-tawila.Look, Yusuf's shoe is under the table.
- يوسف Youssefشكراً يا مريم.Shukran ya Mariam.Thank you, Mariam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shoe” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
