Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَصْفَر | ʔaṣfar | masculine | |
| صَفْرَاء | ṣafrāʔ | feminine | |
| صُفْر | ṣufr | plural | |
| أصفر | aṣfar | /ʔasˤ.far/ | Egyptian Arabic |
The word is an adjective used to describe something as having yellow as its color. It can also function as a noun to mean the color itself. If you wish to express the action of becoming yellow or becoming more yellow, you would use the verb اِصْفَرَّ.
Which one should you use?
The form used depends on the gender and number of the noun you are describing. أَصْفَر is the masculine form, while صَفْرَاء is the feminine form. For non-human plural nouns, use the plural form صُفْر.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form أصفر is also used in Egyptian Arabic.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the masculine form أَصْفَر for masculine nouns and the feminine form صَفْرَاء to describe feminine nouns. When describing non-human plural nouns, use the form صُفْر.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is aṣfar (IPA: /ʔasˤ.far/). It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- While أصفر describes the color, the root ص ف ر also forms the word for 'whistle' صَفِير, mimicking the sound of air passing through a void.
- The root of the word أصفر is shared with the Arabic word for 'zero', which is صِفْر.
- In some dialects, describing a person's heart as أصفر can imply cowardice or a lack of courage.
Examples in context
- هذا التّين أصفر اللّون.These figs are yellow.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe the color of figs using أصفر.Tatoeba #9796320 by Amastan, translation #9771412 by Amastan
- عند ياني كلب لابرادور أصفر اللون.Yanni has a yellow lab.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe a dog's color using أصفر.Tatoeba #10903535 by Amghar, translation #9063009 by Amastan
- تم تقييد توم بحبل أصفر مصنوع من النيلون.Tom was tied with a yellow nylon rope.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe the color of a rope using أصفر.Tatoeba #10903540 by Amghar, translation #4630568 by Amastan
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Omar and Mariam are shopping for a new summer dress.
- عمر Omarاللبس ده لونه أصفر؟el-lebs da lawno asfar?Is this clothing yellow in color?
- مريم Maryamلأ، ده لونه برتقالي.la', da lawno bor-to-qali.No, this is orange.
- عمر Omarطيب، فين الفستان الأصفر؟tayyib, fein el-fostan el-asfar?Okay, where is the yellow dress?
- مريم Maryamهناك، في آخر المحل.honak, fe akher el-mahal.Over there, at the end of the shop.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yellow” translations and entries أصفر, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أصفر, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
