Colloquial Arabic: Sample Comparisons of Dialects - Useful Vocabulary

Family members

Levantine Arabic Dialects

  • Jordanian Arabic
    English Translation:

    My mother, Mama, my father, Baba, my brother,
    my paternal aunt, my maternal aunt, my paternal uncle, my maternal uncle,
    my grandmother, my grandma, my grandfather,
    my cousin (daughter of paternal uncle), my cousin (son of paternal uncle), my cousin (daughter of maternal aunt), my cousin (son of maternal uncle)

  • Palestinian Arabic
    English Translation:

    My brother, my sister, my mom, my father,
    my paternal aunt, my maternal aunt, my paternal uncle, my maternal uncle,
    my cousin (son of paternal uncle), my cousin (son of maternal uncle), my cousin (daughter of paternal uncle) my cousin (daughter of maternal uncle),
    my grandmother, my grandfather

  • Syrian Arabic
    English Translation:

    My brother, my mother, my father, my paternal aunt, my maternal aunt, my sister,
    paternal uncle, my cousin (daughter of paternal uncle), my cousin (son of paternal uncle), grandfather, grandmother

Egyptian Arabic Dialects

  • Egyptian Arabic
    English Translation:
    Mother, Father, Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister,
    Paternal Aunt, Maternal Aunt, Paternal Uncle, Maternal Uncle, Grandfather, Grandmother, Grandfather (informal), Grandmother (informal),
    My niece (my sister's daughter), My niece (my brother's daughter), My nephew (my sister's son), My nephew (my brother's son),
    Cousin (daughter of paternal uncle), Cousin (daughter of paternal aunt), Cousin (daughter of maternal uncle), Cousin (daughter of maternal aunt), Cousin (son of paternal uncle), Cousin (son of paternal aunt), Cousin (son of maternal uncle), Cousin (son of maternal aunt)

North African Arabic Dialects

  • Algerian Arabic
    English Translation:
    Mother, father, mom, dad, brother, sister,
    paternal aunt, maternal aunt, paternal uncle, maternal uncle,
    grandfather, grandmother, grandpa, grandma,
    niece (sister's daughter), niece (brother's daughter), nephew (sister's son), nephew (brother's son),
    cousin (daughter of paternal uncle), cousin (daughter of paternal aunt), cousin (daughter of maternal uncle), cousin (daughter of maternal aunt),
    cousin (son of paternal uncle), cousin (son of paternal aunt), cousin (son of maternal uncle), cousin (son of maternal aunt)
  • Libyan Arabic
    English Translation:
    My father, my father, my father, my father, my father, my father, my father,
    my mother, my mother, my mother, my mother, my brother, my brother, my sister,
    my nephew (my brother's son), my nephew (my brother's son),
    my niece (my brother's daughter), my niece (my brother's daughter),
    my nephew (my sister's son),my niece (my sister's daughter),
    my paternal uncle, my paternal uncle, my paternal aunt,
    my maternal uncle, my maternal aunt,
    cousin (son of my paternal uncle), cousin (daughter of my paternal uncle),
    cousin (son of my maternal uncle), cousin (daughter of my maternal uncle),
    cousin (son of my paternal aunt), cousin (daughter of my paternal aunt),
    cousin (son of my maternal aunt), cousin (daughter of my maternal aunt),
    my grandmother, my grandmother, my grandfather

  • Moroccan Arabic
    English Translation:
    Father, dad, mother, mother, my mom, my brother, my sister,
    my nephew (brother's son), my niece (brother's daughter), my nephew (sister's son), my niece (sister's daughter),
    my paternal uncle, my paternal aunt, my maternal uncle, my maternal uncle, my maternal aunt,
    cousin (son of my paternal uncle), cousin (daughter of my paternal uncle),
    cousin (son of my maternal uncle), cousin (son of my maternal uncle), cousin (daughter of my maternal uncle), cousin (daughter of my maternal uncle),
    cousin (son of my paternal aunt), cousin (daughter of my paternal aunt), cousin (son of my maternal aunt), cousin (daughter of my maternal aunt),
    my grandmother, my grandmother, my grandmother, my grandmother, my grandfather, my grandfather, my grandfather
  • Tunisian Arabic
    English Translation:
    Family, mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter,
    nephew (brother's son), nephew (sister's son), nephews (brother's sons), nephews (sister's sons),
    niece (brother's daughter), niece (sister's daughter), nieces (brother's daughters), nieces (sister's daughters),
    paternal uncle, maternal uncle, paternal aunt, maternal aunt,
    cousin (son of paternal uncle), cousin (daughter of paternal uncle),
    cousin (son of maternal uncle), cousin (daughter of maternal uncle),
    cousin (son of paternal aunt), cousin (daughter of paternal aunt), cousin (son of maternal aunt), cousin (daughter of maternal aunt), grandfather, grandmother
  • Western Saharan and Mauritanian
    English Translation:
    The family, the mother, the father, the brother, the sister, the son, the daughter,
    the nephew (on brother's side), the nephew (on sister's side), the niece (on brother's side), the niece (on sister's side),
    the maternal uncle, the paternal uncle, the maternal aunt, the paternal aunt,
    cousin (son of the maternal uncle), cousin (son of the maternal aunt), cousin (son of the paternal aunt), cousin (son of the paternal uncle), cousin (daughter of the maternal uncle), cousin (daughter of the maternal aunt), cousin (daughter of the paternal uncle), cousin (daughter of the paternal aunt),
    grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, grandmother

Other Dialects

  • Bahraini Arabic
    English Translation:
    Mother, father, brother, sister, paternal aunt, maternal aunt, paternal uncle, maternal uncle,
    grandfather, grandmother, niece (my sister's daughter), niece (my brother's daughter), nephew (my sister's son), nephew (my brother's son),
    cousin (my paternal uncle's daughter), cousin (my paternal aunt's daughter),
    cousin (my maternal uncle's daughter), cousin (my maternal aunt's daughter), cousin (my paternal uncle's son), cousin (my paternal aunt's son), cousin (my maternal uncle's son), cousin (my maternal aunt's son)
  • Iraqi Arabic
    English Translation:
    Mother, father, mom, dad, brother, sister,
    maternal aunt, paternal aunt, paternal uncle, maternal uncle,
    grandfather, grandmother, grandpa, grandma,
    my niece (daughter my sister), niece (daughter my brother), nephew (son my sister), nephew (son my brother), my cousin (daughter of paternal uncle), my cousin (daughter of paternal aunt), my cousin (daughter of maternal uncle), my cousin (daughter of maternal aunt), my cousin (son of paternal uncle), my cousin (son of paternal aunt), my cousin (son of maternal uncle), my cousin (son of maternal aunt)