How to say "hello" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaninghello
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
marḥabaמרחבא
مرحبا
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
shalomشَالُوم
How the two words are related
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
ر-ح-بHebrew root
ר-ח-בFrom the root r-ḥ-b, to be wide: marḥaban literally welcomes you into open space. Hebrew has the very same root in מרחב (expanse) and רחוב (street — originally a wide open place).
Related Hebrew word:מרחבmerkhavمِرْخَاڤ
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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
Pronounced without the final -n; the everyday hello across the Levant.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
Cairo's everyday hello is ahlan (or ahlan wa-sahlan); marḥaba is understood but sounds Levantine.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
Darija's everyday hello is salām (or the full s-salāmu ʿlīkum); merḥba there means 'welcome'.
In a phrase
hello to you all
More words from this root
More in Greetings & Essentials
- welcomeahlan wa-sahlanأَهْلًا وَسَهْلًاברוך הבא
- good morningṣabāḥ al-khayrصَبَاح الْخَيْرבוקר טוב
- good morning (reply)ṣabāḥ an-nūrصَبَاح النُّورבוקר אור
- good eveningmasāʾ al-khayrمَسَاء الْخَيْرערב טוב
- peace be upon youas-salāmu ʿalaykumالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمשלום עליכם
- goodbyemaʿa s-salāmaمَعَ السَّلَامَةלהתראות