ريح
rīḥ/riːħ/Egyptian Arabic, feminine
The English word "wind" is translated to Arabic as ريح (rīḥ). Wiktionary also lists رِيح (rīḥ) and رياح (riyāḥ).
Meaning: movement of air (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ريح | rīḥ | /riːħ/ | Egyptian Arabic, feminine |
| رِيح | rīḥ | feminine | |
| رياح | riyāḥ | /ri.jaːħ/ | Hijazi Arabic, feminine |
| هوا | hawa | Hijazi Arabic, feminine |
The word is used to describe the movement of air. While ريح specifically refers to wind, the word هوا is often used in colloquial Hijazi Arabic to refer to the air or the breeze.
Which one should you use?
Additionally, رياح is the plural form.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hijazi Arabic, you may hear رياح and هوا to refer to the air or a breeze. The form ريح is also used in Egyptian Arabic.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for wind is grammatically feminine. The plural form is رياح.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is rīḥ.
Did you know?
- In certain classical contexts, the word ريح can be used to describe a 'scent' or 'smell' that is carried through the air, rather than the physical force of the wind itself.
- Arabic has a specific term ريح الخماسين to describe the hot, sandy wind that blows across Egypt and the Levant during the spring.
- In some Arabic literature, the 'wind' is personified as a messenger, where the phrase implies the wind is bringing news or a specific destined event.
Examples in context
- يا لها من ريح قوية!What a strong wind!This sentence is useful for expressing exclamation regarding the strength of the ريح.Tatoeba #617186 by saeb, translation #435181 by CK
- تشعر بالرياح اللطيفة؟Can you feel the gentle wind?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wind” translations and entries ريح, رياح, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
