How to say "onion" in Arabic
CognateMeaningonion
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
بَصَل
baṣalבצל
بصل
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
בצל
batsalبَاتْسَال
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ب-ص-لHebrew root
ב-צ-לA perfect ص↔צ match: Arabic baṣal is Hebrew בצל letter for letter. Both appear in the Bible's craving list — the Israelites missed Egypt's הבצלים (Numbers 11:5).
Learn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
بصْلَة
beṣlaבצלהDarija: beṣla.
In a phrase
بَصَل أَخْضَر
baṣal akhḍarבצל אח'צ'רgreen onion