جندي
jundi/d͡ʒun.dijj/South Levantine Arabic
The English word "soldier" is جندي (jundi) in Arabic. Wiktionary also lists جُنْدِيّ (jundiyy) and عَسْكَرِيّ (ʕaskariyy).
Meaning: member of an army (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| جندي | jundi | /d͡ʒun.dijj/ | South Levantine Arabic |
| جُنْدِيّ | jundiyy | masculine | |
| عَسْكَرِيّ | ʕaskariyy | masculine | |
| عسكري | ʕaskari | /ʕas.ka.rijj/ | South Levantine Arabic |
The term refers to a member of an army. While جندي specifically refers to the individual person, the related term عسكري is frequently used as an adjective to mean "military", such as when describing military personnel or military service.
Which one should you use?
جندي is used as a noun to designate the person who is a soldier. In contrast, عسكري is most commonly used as an adjective meaning "military".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In South Levantine Arabic, the forms جندي and عسكري are used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is جندي. For a female soldier, use the feminine singular form جنديّة. To refer to multiple soldiers, the broken plural is جنود.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /dʒun.dijj/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word عسكري is a linguistic traveler that entered Arabic from Middle Persian, tracing its roots back to ancient Indo-Iranian languages.
- In many Arabic dialects, عسكري is used as a shorthand for a police officer, not just a member of the army.
- The word عسكر originally described the physical camp or the place where an army stayed, not the people fighting in it.
Examples in context
- يُعتقد أنه كان جنديا شجاعا.It is believed that he was a brave soldier.This sentence uses جندي to describe a brave soldier.Tatoeba #796168 by Samer, translation #304351 by CM
- هو جندي في الجيش.huwa jundi fil-jaysh.He is a soldier in the army.
Example conversation
Maryam and Youssef are talking about Youssef's brother's job.
- مريم Maryamشو شغل أخوك يا يوسف؟shu shughul akhouk ya Youssef?What is your brother's job, Youssef?
- يوسف Youssefهو جندي بالجيش.huwa jundi bil-jaysh.He is a soldier in the army.
- مريم Maryamالله يحميه ويوفقه.Allah yihmih wa yuwaffiqoh.May God protect him and grant him success.
- يوسف Youssefآمين، شكراً يا مريم.Amin, shukran ya Maryam.Amen, thank you, Maryam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soldier” translations and entries جندي, عسكري, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries جندي, عسكري, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
