معلمة
muʿallimastandard, female
A female teacher is معلمة (muʿallima) in Arabic. مدرسة (mudarrisa) is also used for a woman who teaches at a school, and أستاذة (ustādha) is a respectful form of address.
Meaning: woman who teaches (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| معلمة | muʿallima | standard, female |
| مدرسة | mudarrisa | female, school teacher |
| أستاذة | ustādha | female, respectful title |
Students often call their teacher أستاذة (ustādha) in the classroom, sometimes followed by her name. In some countries مس (mis), borrowed from "Miss", is used for primary school teachers.
Which one should you use?
The feminine ending -a marks the woman. The male forms are معلم (muʿallim), مدرس (mudarris) and أستاذ (ustādh).
How do you pronounce it?
Notice that مدرسة (mudarrisa) with the vowel marks is "teacher" and مدرسة (madrasa) is "school". The same letters can be read both ways, so context decides.
Did you know?
- The word معلمة (muʿallima) comes from the root of علم (ʿilm), "knowledge", the same root that gives تعليم (taʿlīm), "education".
Examples in context
- معلمتي لطيفة جداmuʿallimatī laṭīfa jiddanMy teacher is very kind.
- شكرا يا أستاذةshukran yā ustādhaThank you, teacher.
- هي مدرسة في مدرسة ابتدائيةhiya mudarrisa fī madrasa ibtidāʾiyyaShe is a teacher in a primary school.
Example conversation
Lina greets her teacher at the classroom door in the morning.
- Linaصباح الخير يا أستاذةṣabāḥ al-khayr yā ustādhaGood morning, teacher.
- Teacherصباح النور يا ليناṣabāḥ an-nūr yā LīnāGood morning, Lina.
- Linaهل أدخل؟hal adkhulMay I come in?
