Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| مَاذَا | māḏā | ||
| مَا | mā | ||
| ايه | ēh | Egyptian Arabic | |
| إِيش | ʔēš | Gulf Arabic | |
| شنو | šinu | Gulf Arabic | |
| شُو | šū | Gulf Arabic | |
| وش | weš | Gulf Arabic | |
| إيش | ʔēš | Hijazi Arabic | |
| أشنو | ʔašnu | Moroccan Arabic | |
| شني | šni | Moroccan Arabic | |
| أش | ʔaš | Moroccan Arabic | |
| أيش | ʔēš | /ʔaj.ʃin/ | South Levantine Arabic |
The word is an interrogative pronoun used to ask questions. In Modern Standard Arabic, specifically, مَاذَا is the standard way to express "what" when the question is followed by a verb.
What does it mean word for word?
The form مَاذَا is a combination of the particle مَا and the demonstrative ذا, specifically used here for interrogative purposes.
Which one should you use?
In Modern Standard Arabic, مَاذَا is used when the question is followed by a verb.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Arabic speakers use many different forms depending on the region. In Egypt, the informal ايه is common. In the Gulf region, you may hear إِيش, شنو or وش. The form شُو is a popular informal way to say "what" in Levantine Arabic, such as in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Moroccan Arabic uses أشنو, شني or أش. Finally, in South Levantine Arabic, أيش is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form مَاذَا is a combination of the particle مَا and the demonstrative ذا, functioning as an interrogative.
How do you pronounce it?
māḏā
Did you know?
- The Egyptian ايه is often repeated as ايه ايه during a conversation to signal that the listener is following along and wants the speaker to continue.
- The word ما can function as both a question 'what' and a negation 'not' depending on the context of the sentence.
- The formal مَاذَا is rarely heard in daily street conversations and is primarily reserved for news broadcasts, formal speeches and literature.
Examples in context
- لَمْ يَأْتِ رَجُلٌ قَطُّ بِمِثْلِ مَا جِئْتَ بِهِ إِلَّا عُودِيَ.Any man who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility.This sentence demonstrates the use of مَا.Tatoeba #9084274 by alkhaldy, translation #9091031 by alkhaldy
- لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ.None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.Tatoeba #9090805 by alkhaldy, translation #9091093 by alkhaldy
- إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى.The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.Tatoeba #9084258 by alkhaldy, translation #9090819 by alkhaldy
- مَاذَا تُفَضِّلُ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ؟What would you prefer to eat?
- هَلْ تَعْرِفُ مَا حَدَثَ؟Do you know what happened?
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maryam and Ziad are in a cafe.
- مريم Maryamمَاذَا تَشْرَبُ؟mādhā tashrab?What are you drinking?
- زياد Ziadأَشْرَبُ الْقَهْوَةَ.ashrab al-qahwah.I am drinking coffee.
- مريم Maryamوَمَاذَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ؟wa mādhā turīdu an ta'kul?And what do you want to eat?
- زياد Ziadأُرِيدُ سَنْدْوِيتْشاً.urīdu sandwītchan.I want a sandwich.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries أيش, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
