عَطْشَان
ʕaṭšān
The Arabic word for thirsty is عَطْشَان (ʕaṭšān). Wiktionary also lists ظَمْآن (ẓamʔān).
Meaning: needing to drink (adj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| عَطْشَان | ʕaṭšān |
| ظَمْآن | ẓamʔān |
The word is used to describe the sensation of needing to drink. In informal settings, the adjective عَطْشَان can be used alone to mean 'I'm thirsty'.
Which one should you use?
عَطْشَان is the common, everyday way to say 'thirsty' in most spoken dialects and modern standard Arabic. In contrast, ظَمْآن is a more formal, poetic or classical term used in literature or high-register speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many spoken dialects, the feminine form of عَطْشَان is عَطْشَانَة.
How do you pronounce it?
ʕaṭšān
Did you know?
- In Arabic culture, offering water to someone who says عَطْشَان is not just a courtesy but is viewed as a highly virtuous act of charity known as 'siqāyah'.
- The formal term ظَمْآن is so heavily associated with classical literature that using it in a coffee shop might make you sound like a character from a 10th-century poem.
- Arabic has distinct words for 'thirst' as a noun and 'thirsty' as an adjective, and the noun عَطَش can be used to describe a drought-stricken land.
Examples in context
- أنا عطشانI am thirsty
- أنا عطشان. هل لديك ماء؟I am thirsty. Do you have water?
- هل تشعر بالعطش؟Are you feeling thirsty?
- نعم، أنا عطشان جداً. هل يمكنك تحضير شاي لي؟Yes, I am very thirsty. Can you prepare some tea for me?
- أنا عَطْشَان جِدًّا.Ana 'atshan jiddan.I am very thirsty.
- هَلْ أَنْتَ عَطْشَان؟Hal anta 'atshan?Are you thirsty?
- الْكَلْبُ عَطْشَان في الْحَدِيقَة.Al-kalbu 'atshan fil-hadiqa.The dog is thirsty in the garden.
Example conversation
Nour and Ziad are walking in the sun.
- نور Nourزياد، هل أنتَ عَطْشَان؟Ziyad, hal anta 'atshan?Ziad, are you thirsty?
- زياد Ziadنعم، أنا عَطْشَان للغاية.Na'am, ana 'atshan lil-ghaya.Yes, I am extremely thirsty.
- نور Nourهناك محل لبيع الماء هنا.Hunaka mahall li-bay' al-ma huna.There is a water shop here.
- زياد Ziadهذا رائع، لنذهب الآن.Hadha ra'i', linadhhab al-an.That's great, let's go now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thirsty” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
