برج
burj
The Arabic word for "tower" is برج (burj).
برج refers to a tall, narrow structure. When you want to specifically refer to an air traffic control tower or an observation tower, use the phrase برج المراقبة.
Meaning: tall, narrow structure (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gulf Arabic, the term for tower is بُرْج.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of برج is أبراج.
How do you pronounce it?
burj
Did you know?
- The word برج is also the term used for the 'Zodiac signs' in Arabic, such as برج العقرب for 'Scorpio'.
- The word برج shares a surprising linguistic ancestry with the English word 'burg', found in names like 'Hamburg' or 'Luxembourg'.
- Arabic uses برج not just for architecture, but also to describe the 'tower' of a chess piece, known as the rook in English.
Examples in context
- وصل كارل إلى برج آخر.Karl reached another tower.This sentence shows the use of برج in the context of reaching a destination.Tatoeba #11959952 by dididodo, translation #11635449 by Amastan
- في منتصف الليل ، قال هذا السائح المجري: انه الوقت المناسب لزيارة برج ايفل.Midnight! — says this Hungarian tourist. It's time to visit the Eiffel Tower.This sentence uses برج to refer to the Eiffel Tower.Tatoeba #4123440 by fadi, translation #2631538 by carlosalberto
- توقف برج التحكم عن الاستجابة.The control tower stopped responding.This sentence uses برج in the context of a control tower.Tatoeba #10878486 by User105223, translation #10190067 by ddnktr
Example conversation
Ahmed and Sarah are walking through a modern city area.
- سارة Saraانظر إلى ذلك البرج العالي.Unzur ila dhalika al-burj al-'ali.Look at that tall tower.
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، إنه برج جميل جداً.Na'am, innahu burj jamil jiddan.Yes, it is a very beautiful tower.
- سارة Saraهل هذا البرج جديد؟Hal hadha al-burj jadid?Is this tower new?
- أحمد Ahmedأعتقد أن هذا البرج حديث.A'taqid anna hadha al-burj hadith.I think this tower is modern.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries برج, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
