How to say "what does … mean?" in Arabic
New wordMeaningwhat does … mean?
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
مَا مَعْنَى …؟
mā maʿnā …?מא מענא …?
ما معنى …؟
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
מה פירוש …?
ma pirush …?مَا پِيرُوش …؟
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
ع-ن-يLearn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
شُو يَعْنِي …؟
shū yaʿni …?שו יעני …?Literally 'what does … mean' — the same yaʿni that fills every pause.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
يَعْنِي إِيه …؟
yaʿni ēh …?יעני איה …?Egyptian puts the question word last: yaʿni ēh?
In a phrase
مَا مَعْنَى «مَدْرَسَة»؟
mā maʿnā «madrasa»?מא מענא «מדרסה»?What does 'madrasa' mean?
More words from this root
More in School & Study
- how do you say … in Arabic?kayfa naqūlu … bil-ʿarabiyya?كَيْفَ نَقُولُ … بِالْعَرَبِيَّة؟איך אומרים … בערבית?
- may I go out?hal yumkinunī l-khurūj?هَل يُمْكِنُنِي الْخُرُوج؟אפשר לצאת?
- I have a questionʿindī suʾālعِنْدِي سُؤَالיש לי שאלה
- I don't knowlā aʿrifuلَا أَعْرِفُאני לא יודע
- open your booksiftaḥū l-kutubاِفْتَحُوا الْكُتُبפתחו את הספרים
- quiet, pleasehudūʾ min faḍlikumهُدُوء مِن فَضْلِكُمשקט, בבקשה