نجمة
nigmaeveryday, Egyptian
In Egyptian Arabic a star in the sky is نجمة (nigma). The plural is نجوم (nugūm). It is also called نجم (nagm).
Meaning: star (noun)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| نجمة | nigma | everyday, Egyptian |
| نجم | nagm | star, famous man |
| نجوم | nugūm | plural |
The same words are used for celebrities, so a male film star is نجم (nagm) and a female one is نجمة (nigma).
How does it change in a sentence?
Egyptians usually say نجوم (nugūm) for "stars" in general and for hotel ratings, as in فندق خمس نجوم (funduʾ khamas nugūm), "a five-star hotel".
How do you pronounce it?
The letter ج is a hard "g" in Cairo, so the word sounds like "NIG-ma" rather than "NAJ-ma".
Did you know?
- Arabic نجم (nagm) can mean a single star and also the group of stars in general, which is why film stars are called by the same word.
Examples in context
- النجوم كتير الليلة.en-nugūm kitīr el-leila.There are many stars tonight.
- بص على النجمة دي.buṣṣ ʿala n-nigma di.Look at that star.
- هو نجم كبير في السينما.huwwa nagm kibīr fi s-sinima.He is a big star in cinema.
Example conversation
Salma and her cousin Tarek camp in the desert near Siwa.
- Salmaبص على النجوم، كتير قوي.buṣṣ ʿala n-nugūm, kitīr ʾawi.Look at the stars, there are so many.
- Tarekفي القاهرة مش بنشوفها كده.fi l-ʾāhira mish binshufha kida.We do not see them like this in Cairo.
- Salmaفعلا، المكان هادي.faʿlan, el-makān hādi.True, the place is quiet.
