ظربان
zirbān
The English word 'skunk' is translated into Arabic as ظربان (zirbān).
ظربان is the noun used to refer to the skunk, the animal.
Meaning: animal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zirbān.
Did you know?
- Arabic uses the same word ظربان for both the striped skunk of North America and the African civet, which is a different species.
- In many Arabic-speaking regions, there is no specific cultural equivalent to a 'skunk' in folk tales, as the animal is not native to the Middle East. Consequently, it lacks the 'cute but smelly' persona it holds in Western media.
- The word ظربان is quite rare in spoken dialects and is almost exclusively found in Modern Standard Arabic or scientific texts. If you use it in a casual conversation in Cairo or Beirut, people might pause to wonder which animal you mean.
Examples in context
- هذا ظربان أسود وأبيض.hādhā ḍarbān aswad wa abyaḍ.This is a black and white skunk.
Example conversation
Noor and Omar are looking at a picture of animals.
- نور Nourما هذا الحيوان يا عمر؟Ma hadha al-hayawan ya Omar?What is this animal, Omar?
- عمر Omarهذا ظربان، انظري إلى لونه.Hadha zarban, unzuri ila lawnihi.This is a skunk, look at its color.
- نور Nourهل الظربان خطير؟Hal az-zarban khatir?Is the skunk dangerous?
- عمر Omarلا، لكن رائحته سيئة جداً.La, lakin ra'ihatuhu sayyi'a jiddan.No, but its smell is very bad.
