How to say "phone" in Arabic
New wordMeaningphone
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
هَاتِف
hātifהאתף
هاتف
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
טלפון
telefonتِلِفُون
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
ه-ت-فNo Hebrew relative — in classical poetry a hātif was an unseen voice calling out from beyond; modern Arabic handed the job to the telephone. Hebrew simply took the Greek import טלפון instead.
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On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
تَلَفُون
talafōnתלפוןThe everyday spoken word; hātif is formal.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
تِلِيفُون
tilifōnתליפוןCairo's kasra-heavy shape: tilifōn.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
تِلِيفُون
tilifūnתליפוןDarija: tilifūn — or the French porṭābl for a mobile.
In a phrase
رَنَّ الْهَاتِف
ranna l-hātifרן אל-האתףThe phone rang.
Plural
هَوَاتِف
hawātifהואתףbroken plural CawāCiC — like شَارِع→شَوَارِع.