ذٰلِكَ
ḏālikamasculine
The English phrase "that" can be translated into Arabic. The default form is ذٰلِكَ (ḏālika). Wiktionary also lists ذَاكَ (ḏāka) and تِلْكَ (tilka).
Meaning: what is being indicated (det)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ذٰلِكَ | ḏālika | masculine |
| ذَاكَ | ḏāka | masculine |
| تِلْكَ | tilka | feminine |
| تَاكَ | tāka | feminine, non human, plural |
| ذَانِكَ | ḏānika | dual, masculine |
| تَانِكَ | tānika | dual, feminine |
| أُولَائِكَ | ʔulāʔika | plural |
| إلي هناك دا | ili hnak da | Egyptian Arabic, masculine |
| إلي هناك دي | ili hnak di | Egyptian Arabic, feminine |
| إِلِي هْنَاك دُول | ʔilī hnak dūl | Egyptian Arabic, plural |
| دكها | dukha | Egyptian Arabic, archaic, masculine |
| دُكْهُم | dukhum | Egyptian Arabic, archaic, plural |
In Arabic, these words are used for what is being indicated (det). Some forms, such as ذَاكَ, ذٰلِكَ and تِلْكَ, can also function as pronouns meaning "that thing".
Which one should you use?
In Standard Arabic, use ذٰلِكَ for masculine singular objects and تِلْكَ for feminine singular objects. For plural use, the form أُولَائِكَ is used to mean "those".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can use إلي هناك دا for masculine, إلي هناك دي for feminine and إِلِي هْنَاك دُول for plural. Additionally, the archaic Egyptian Arabic forms دكها (masculine) and دُكْهُم (plural) exist.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The Standard Arabic form أُولَائِكَ is the plural demonstrative used for "those".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is ḏālika.
Did you know?
- Standard Arabic provides specific dual forms like ذَانِكَ and تَانِكَ specifically for when 'that' refers to exactly two people or things.
- The word ذٰلِكَ is used frequently in the Quran to point toward metaphysical concepts or divine truths rather than physical objects.
- While English uses 'that' for both near and far objects, some Arabic forms like ذَاكَ are used to indicate a sense of distance or psychological remoteness from the speaker. It can imply 'that thing way over there' or even 'that thing I am detached from'.
Examples in context
- ذٰلِكَ كِتَابٌ جَدِيدٌ.dhālika kitābun jadīdun.That is a new book.
- مَنْ ذٰلِكَ الرَّجُلُ؟man dhālika al-rajulu?Who is that man?
- ذٰلِكَ بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ جِدًّا.dhālika baytun kabīrun jiddan.That is a very large house.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Sara are looking at a house from a distance.
- أحمد Ahmedهَلْ تَرَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ الْبَيْتَ؟hal tarayna dhālika al-bayta?Do you see that house?
- سارة Saraنَعَمْ، ذٰلِكَ الْبَيْتُ جَمِيلٌ.na'am, dhālika al-baytu jamīlun.Yes, that house is beautiful.
- أحمد Ahmedهَلْ هُوَ بَيْتُ جَارِنَا؟hal huwa baytu jārinā?Is it our neighbor's house?
- سارة Saraلَا، ذٰلِكَ بَيْتٌ آخَرُ.lā, dhālika baytun ākharu.No, that is another house.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “that” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
