How to say "yes" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningyes
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
naʿamנעם
نعم
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
kenكِن
How the two words are related
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
ن-ع-مHebrew root
נ-ע-םBy the traditional account, naʿam comes from the root n-ʿ-m, to be pleasant or agreeable — the root shared with Hebrew נעים and the name נעמי (Naomi). If so, saying yes in Arabic is literally saying 'agreeable!'
Related Hebrew word:נעיםna'imنَئِيم
Learn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
The everyday spoken yes; naʿam in the Levant often means 'pardon?'
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
Cairo's yes is aywa too; āh is the casual one.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
Darija says āh (or iyyeh); naʿam is the polite 'yes?' when someone calls you.
In a phrase
yes, I am ready