صَحَا
ṣaḥā
To wake up in Arabic is to say صَحَا (ṣaḥā). Wiktionary also lists اِسْتَيْقَظَ (istayqaẓa) and نَهَضَ مِنَ النَّوْمِ (nahaḍa mina n-nawmi).
Meaning: to (become) awake (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| صَحَا | ṣaḥā |
| اِسْتَيْقَظَ | istayqaẓa |
| نَهَضَ مِنَ النَّوْمِ | nahaḍa mina n-nawmi |
The phrase is used to describe the act of becoming awake.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase نَهَضَ مِنَ النَّوْمِ literally means 'to rise from sleep'.
Which one should you use?
The form اِسْتَيْقَظَ is formal and is commonly used in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for the act of waking up. The form صَحَا is more common in daily spoken dialects and is slightly less formal than اِسْتَيْقَظَ.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gulf Arabic, the phrase قم يلا is used as an informal way to wake someone up.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb اِسْتَيْقَظَ is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not take a direct object.
How do you pronounce it?
ṣaḥā
Did you know?
- The word صَحَا (ṣaḥā) shares a linguistic root with the word for 'desert' or 'clear weather' in some contexts, both implying a sense of clarity and brightness.
- In many Arabic dialects, if you want to tell someone to 'wake up' urgently, you might say صَحْصَحْ (ṣaḥṣaḥ), which carries the connotation of 'be alert' or 'wake up your senses' rather than just opening your eyes.
- The root of the formal verb اِسْتَيْقَظَ is related to the concept of being 'vigilant' or 'watchful', implying that waking up is a transition into a state of awareness.
Examples in context
- صَحَا الطِّفْلُ مُبَكِّرًا.ṣaḥā aṭ-ṭiflu mubakkiran.The child woke up early.
- مَتَى صَحَا أَخُوكَ؟matā ṣaḥā akhūka?When did your brother wake up?
Example conversation
Mariam and Ahmed are talking about their morning routines.
- مريم Maryamهَلْ صَحَا أَحْمَدُ بَاكِرًا؟Hal saha Ahmed bakiran?Did Ahmed wake up early?
- أحمد Ahmedنَعَمْ، صَحَوْتُ فِي السَّاعَةِ السَّادِسَةِ.Na'am, sahawtu fi al-sa'ati al-sadisa.Yes, I woke up at six o'clock.
- مريم Maryamهَذَا رَائِعٌ جِدًّا.Hadha ra'i'un jiddan.That is very wonderful.
- أحمد Ahmedلَكِنَّنِي مَا زِلْتُ أَشْعُرُ بِالنُّعَاسِ.Lakinnani ma ziltu ash'uru bi-al-nu'as.But I still feel sleepy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wake up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
