حوت
ḥūt
The English word "whale" is حوت (ḥūt) in Arabic.
The term is used to refer to the large sea mammal. You can use specific variations to identify different species, such as الحوت الأزرق for a blue whale or الحوت الرمادي for a gray whale.
Meaning: large sea mammal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
ḥūt
Did you know?
- The word حوت is used in Arabic astrology to refer to the constellation and zodiac sign of Pisces.
- Arabic speakers sometimes use حوت as a metaphor for someone who is a 'big fish' or a powerful, dominating figure in a particular field.
- The term حوت might be related to the Aramaic word for 'snake' through a process of linguistic contraction over time.
Examples in context
- لم يسبق لي و أن رأيت حوتا بهذا الحجم.I never saw so big a whale.This sentence is useful for describing the size of a حوت.Tatoeba #1595320 by Amastan, translation #975338 by sacredceltic
- رأيت حوتاً كبيراً في المحيط.ra'aytu hūtan kabīran fī al-muḥīṭ.I saw a large whale in the ocean.
Example conversation
Nour and Youssef are visiting an aquarium.
- نور Nourانظر يا يوسف، هذا حوت رائع!Unzhur ya Youssef, hadha hoot ra'i!Look Youssef, this is a wonderful whale!
- يوسف Youssefنعم، إنه ضخم حقاً.Na'am, innahu dhakhm haqqan.Yes, it is truly huge.
- نور Nourكم يزن هذا الحوت؟Kam yazinu hadha al-hoot?How much does this whale weigh?
- يوسف Youssefلا أعرف، لكنه يبدو ثقيلاً.La a'rif, lakinahu yabdu thaqilan.I don't know, but it looks heavy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry حوت, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries حوت, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
