مشى
maša/ma.ʃaː/South Levantine Arabic
To say walk in Arabic, use مشى (maša) (mašā), the verb for moving on your feet. If unsure, use مشى. Wiktionary also lists مَشَى (mašā) and تَمَشَّى (tamaššā).
Meaning: to move on the feet (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| مشى | maša | /ma.ʃaː/ | South Levantine Arabic |
| مَشَى | mašā | ||
| تَمَشَّى | tamaššā | ||
| مِشي | miši | Hijazi Arabic | |
| يِمشي | yimši | Hijazi Arabic, imperfect |
مَشَى means the basic act of walking and is listed in dictionaries in its past tense form, meaning he walked. To say someone travelled on foot rather than by vehicle, use مَشْيًا عَلَى الْأَقْدَامِ.
Which one should you use?
While مَشَى means simply to walk, تَمَشَّى (tamaššā) implies walking for pleasure, like going for a stroll.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hijazi Arabic the verb is مِشي (miši), with the present form يِمشي (yimši). In South Levantine Arabic it is written مشى and pronounced maša.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense form is يَمْشِي (yamšī), meaning he walks or he is walking. It describes an ongoing or habitual action. The active participle مَاشٍ (māšin) describes someone who is walking at the moment.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced /ma.ʃaː/, in two syllables, with a long a at the end.
Did you know?
- In some Arabic dialects, if a plan or a piece of machinery is described as مشى ('walking'), it actually means that the plan is succeeding or the machine is functioning correctly.
- In many Arabic dialects, the word for 'walk' is used to describe the act of 'going' or 'leaving' a place entirely. If you tell someone 'I am walking' in a casual setting, they might understand you are departing rather than just moving your feet.
- The word مَاشٍ ('walking') can be used metaphorically to describe a person's overall conduct or the way they lead their life.
Examples in context
- أحب المَشي في الحدائقI love walking in the gardens
- يعتمد على السَّير للذهاب إلى المدرسةHe relies on walking to go to school
- أحب المَشي في الجبالI love walking in the mountains
- الولد مشى بسرعة.al-walad masha bi-sur'a.The boy walked quickly.
- هو مشى لغاية البيت.huwwe masha la-ghayet el-bait.He walked all the way to the house.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “walk” translations and entries مشى, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
