قَمْح
qamḥmasculine
Wheat in Arabic is قَمْح (qamḥ). Wiktionary also lists حِنْطَة (ḥinṭa) and بُرّ (burr).
Meaning: grain (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قَمْح | qamḥ | masculine |
| حِنْطَة | ḥinṭa | feminine |
| بُرّ | burr | masculine |
The word refers to the grain wheat.
Which one should you use?
قَمْح is the most common and standard word for wheat used across the Arabic-speaking world. حِنْطَة is a common synonym for wheat, though it is grammatically feminine while قَمْح is masculine. بُرّ is a more classical or literary term for wheat, often used in historical or religious contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a single grain of wheat, one can use the singular form قَمْحَة.
How do you pronounce it?
qamḥ
Did you know?
- While قَمْح is the standard term, in some North African dialects, the word for wheat can be influenced by Berber languages, sounding very different from the Classical Arabic term.
- While قَمْح and حِنْطَة are synonyms, the word حِنْطَة appears in the Quran, giving it a spiritual weight and a layer of antiquity that the common word قَمْح lacks in religious discourse.
- If you are looking for 'whole wheat' in a modern supermarket in an Arabic-speaking country, you might see the word كامل (complete) attached to the wheat term rather than a separate word for 'whole'.
Examples in context
- هل تعرف كيف تقول "wheat" بالعربية؟Do you know how to say "wheat" in Arabic?
Example conversation
A man and a woman are talking at a local market.
- مريم Maryamيا أحمد، هل هذا القَمْح طازج؟ya Ahmad, hal hatha al-qam-h tazaj?Ahmad, is this wheat fresh?
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، هو قَمْح طازج جداً.na'am, huwa qam-h tazaj jiddan.Yes, it is very fresh wheat.
- مريم Maryamسأشتري كمية كبيرة منه اليوم.sa-ashtari kammiya kabira minhu al-yawm.I will buy a large amount of it today.
- أحمد Ahmedهذا اختيار جيد يا مريم.hatha ikhtiyar jayyid ya Maryam.That is a good choice, Maryam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wheat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
