How to say "table" in Arabic

Loanword

Meaningtable

Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic

طَاوِلَة

ṭāwilaטאולה

طاولة

Hebrew · Modern Hebrew

שולחן

shulkhanشُولْخَان

How the two words are related

Loanword

Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).

Both go back to Latin tabula: Arabic ṭāwila arrived via Italian tavola, while Mishnaic Hebrew took טבלה through Greek. Two long detours, one Roman table.

Related Hebrew word:טבלהtavlaتَاڤْلَا

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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

طَاوْلَة
ṭāwleטאולה

Also the Levantine word for backgammon.

Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta

طَرَبِيزَة
ṭarabēzaטרביזה

A different word: ṭarabēza is the Cairo table.

Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes

طبْلَة
ṭablaטבלה

From Spanish tabla; the Darija table.

In a phrase

الْكِتَاب عَلَى الطَّاوِلَة
al-kitāb ʿalā aṭ-ṭāwilaאל-כתאב עלא א-טאולה

The book is on the table.

Plural

طَاوِلَات
ṭāwilātטאולאת

sound feminine plural in -āt — like Hebrew ־ות

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