How to Say “Welcome” in Arabic

Ways to say it

أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا is the common way to welcome a guest. To say welcome to a place, Arabic usually uses مرحبا with بك and the preposition في, as in the examples below.

What does it mean word for word?

ahlan wa sahlan literally means family and ease, implying the guest is among family and will feel comfortable.

Which one should you use?

مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban) is a single word that can mean both hello and welcome, while أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا is focused specifically on welcoming someone's arrival. The short أهلاً is a casual greeting.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا is often felt to be more formal or traditional than the shorter مَرْحَبًا. أهلاً بكم welcomes a group formally, and أهلاً on its own is used among friends, peers and family.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Egypt people commonly add the person's name with يا, saying أهلاً وسهلاً يا followed by the name. In Moroccan Arabic marḥaban is often pronounced marḥba.

Related words

Act of greeting someone's arrival (noun): تَرْحِيب.

Affirm or greet the arrival of someone (verb): رَحَّبَ, اِسْتَقْبِل.

How does it change in a sentence?

To welcome one man say أَهْلًا بِكَ (ahlan bika), to welcome one woman say أَهْلًا بِكِ (ahlan biki) and to welcome several people say أَهْلًا بِكُمْ (ahlan bikum).

How do you pronounce it?

It is pronounced ʔahlan wa-sahlan, starting with a light catch in the throat before the a.