Basic Arabic Words for Travel to Egypt
We knew very little about the Egyptian language before we visited earlier this year. In fact all we really knew was that they spoke Arabic. And to be honest, to my untrained and ignorant eyes the written Arabic language looks a lot like squiggly lines.
Just to be clear, we are not talking about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics either which would really make me feel like an idiot if I had to translate them!
We always pride ourselves on learning a few basic words and phrases to help us communicate when we are travelling in foreign countries. The locals always seem to appreciate it and it makes us feel as if we are immersing ourselves in the culture which is why we love to travel.
So whether you are just visiting the numerous Red Sea all inclusive vacations or the Great Pyramids of Giza use our list of basic Arabic words and phrases below to help you out on your next travel adventure through Egypt and the Middle East.
Keep in mind that there are of course loads of different ways to greet someone or be polite etc. But by using the basic Arabic words below on a daily basis when strolling through the markets or stopping to eat Egyptian street food we always got by.
Basic Arabic Words and Phrases
MarHaba = Hello.
Shukran = Thank you (although we usually used “la shukran” which is no “thank you” when being offered another 100 camels for Adela).
Tatakallam ‘inglizi? = Do you speak English?
Ya-llah = Let’s go.
Naam = Yes.
La =No.
Min fadlik = Please.
Kam? = How much?
Afwan = Excuse me.
Ilal-liqa = I’ll see you later.
‘Ayna… = Where is…
…al-Hammaam? = …the rest room?
WaaHid = One
‘Ithnayn = Two
Thalaatha = Three
‘Arbaxa = Four
Khamsa = Five
As always practice makes perfect and there is no easier way to learn a language than trying it out in every day situations so don’t be afraid to have a go. Your pronunciation might be a bit off the first few times but like we said above, most locals will appreciate you trying and correct you.
Reader question: Do you have any tips or additional words that we didn’t include that you think we should?
Category: Africa, Travel Tips
We have been wearing out our jandals (Kiwi slang for flip-flops) on our travel adventures around the world since 2009. We love all types of adventures that make us step outside our comfort zone, in comfort, including surfing, skiing, snowboarding, diving and cruising on our bikes. You can find out more 
Great vocab list, guys! I totally agree, it’s really important to learn a few key phrases of the local community, not just to help you get around but also to show them that you care enough to learn about their language and culture. We love Egypt. It’s definitely one of our favorite countries, and my husband grew up there.
Egypt has been in the top 3 places I think we have visited. So much culture, history and amazing food to indulge in!
100 camels for Adela?? Good thing you knew what they were saying! Thanks for the Arabic lesson. I hope I get a chance to use these words someday while visiting Egypt. It’s been on my list forever!
I was holding out for 1,000
Hope you get there too Cathy! It is a fantastic country with so much culture.
I really want to make it to Africa this year! How was the situation in Egypt?
It was fine! We wandered the streets by ourselves after the tour and never felt unsafe or anything. Did you see this post we wrote about it all – http://www.fourjandals.com/africa/egypt-is-open-for-tourism/
Haven’t read it yet.. clicking over now!
Cheers
Very timely post but it leaves me wondering How to say “Arab Spring” or “this is not what democracy looks like.”
And Adela is worth WAY more than 100 camels…
I totally agree with you Karen. We wrote another post earlier though about how Egypt is open for tourism – http://www.fourjandals.com/africa/egypt-is-open-for-tourism/
Great tips guys – I’m off to Lebanon next year, so hopefully some of these will come in handy if my French fails me!
By the way, how are you supposed to pronounce the ‘ symbol that you’ve put in front of some of the words? Is it like a glottal stop?
Lebanon will be awesome Tom. And can’t help much with the French haha.
It’s more of a visual than a sound actually. Well from our limited knowledge!
Egypt is a big one on our list of places we want to go, and we actually had a press trip in the works a year or so ago before the latest round of fighting broke out. The culture there fascinates me, and I’d love to get out of the cities and explore rural Egypt a bit. Will definitely try to memorize a few of these phrases when we do go!
You guys will love it Bret! So much to see and do. You would have a blast exploring the Nile.
Hi Cole,
You might want to check a few of these.
My understanding is that “arba” is four, not “arbaxa”. The glottal stop is pronounced, but not in may of the places that you have it here: there are two different glottal stops in Arabic.
“Afwan” is “you’re welcome”, not “excuse me”. Not sure what you’re using the “th” for, but in the words you have it in it’s pronounced as a “t” with a breath, not “th” as in “thin”. There’s a few other bits and pieces I could comment on, but I won’t bore you with it.
Still, I guess, if it worked for you, it worked for you…
Cheers,
Theodora
Thanks Theodora for the updates. We are definitely not claiming to be experts but thought we would share these with our readers as they did work for us. Hope we don’t cause offense to anyone!
Cool!!! This looks very interesting!! This would definitely be helpful for those who visits Egypt. Not only that before traveling to new countries it is necessary to learn about their culture and few of the most commonly used words in their language. This would help in many ways. Thanks for the share!!!
I’ve been in Saudi for five weeks and have been trying to jam as much of this stuff into my head as possible. This is a great start off list. I agree with Theodora, four = arba and afwan = you’re welcome. Excuse me can be ‘malesh’ amongst other things, dialects vary so much. To add to your list, a very useful greeting is: ‘Assa-laamu-alaikum’ OR ‘May Peace be upon you’.
EarthDrifter recently posted..Mutabbaq: A Taste of Arabia
Happy to see people here like my country , any help about Egypt feel free to contact me ( deiaelwa@yahoo.com )
Excuse me is ( Law samaht )
you ‘re welcome ( marhaba )
I want ( ana awez )
good bye ( maa assalama )
Thanks for the extra tips Deya