How to say "mobile phone" in Arabic
New wordMeaningmobile phone
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
جَوَّال
jawwālג'ואל
جوال
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
נייד
nayadنَايَاد
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
ج-و-لNo Hebrew relative — jawwāl is 'the roamer', from ج-و-ل 'to rove', the root that also gives jawla, a tour or a round.
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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
مُوبَايْل
mobāylמובאילThe Levantine everyday word; khalyawī (خليوي, 'cellular') is also heard.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
مُوبَايْل
mobāylמובאילCairo says mobāyl too, or maḥmūl.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
بُورْطَابْل
porṭāblפורטאבלMorocco uses the French: porṭābl (portable).
In a phrase
أَيْنَ جَوَّالِي؟
ayna jawwālī?אין ג'ואלי?Where is my mobile?
Plural
جَوَّالَات
jawwālātג'ואלאתsound feminine plural -āt.