How to say "today" in Arabic

Cognate

Meaningtoday

Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic

الْيَوْم

al-yawmאל-יום

اليوم

Hebrew · Modern Hebrew

היום

hayomهَايُوم

How the two words are related

Cognate

Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.

Arabic root

ي-و-م

Hebrew root

י-ו-ם

Both languages say 'the day': Hebrew היום = ha + yom, Arabic al-yawm = al + yawm. Same word, same construction.

How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.

Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta

النَّهَارْدَه

in-nahārdaא-נהארדא

Cairo's 'today' is in-nahārda, literally 'this day'.

Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes

الْيُوم

l-yūmאל-יום

Darija: l-yūm (aw → ū).

أَنَا مَشْغُول الْيَوْم

anā mashghūl al-yawmאנא משע'ול אל-יום

I am busy today