Our five senses – sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell – seem to operate independently, as though they are five separate and distinct modes of perceiving the world. However, they collaborate closely to enable the mind to better understand its surroundings. We can become aware of this collaboration under special circumstances, and Arabs seemed to have had an understanding of this a long time ago. The way they perceived their world is shown in their material culture, literature, and fine arts. The beautiful fabrics that make up Arab garments are a feast for the eyes and their textures luxurious to the touch. If you’ve ever indulged in a Middle Eastern meal you will understand why Arabs truly put an emphasis on the sense of smell and taste. In this post, we will talk about the five senses in Arabic, including some information about the different body organs that our senses use.
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Sense in Arabic | Hassah | حاسة |
| The five senses in Arabic | alhawassu ilkhams | الحواس الخمس |
| Smell in Arabic | Haasat isham | حاسة الشم |
| Touch in Arabic | Haasat illams | حاسة اللمس |
| Taste in Arabic | Haasat iltathawoq | حاسة التذوق |
| Hearing in Arabic | Haasat ilsam’ | حاسة السمع |
| Vision in Arabic | Haasat ilbasar | حاسة البصر |
| Head in Arabic | ra’s | رأس |
| Forehead in Arabic | jabeen | جبين |
| Eye in Arabic | ‘ayan | عين |
| Ear in Arabic | ‘uthon | أذن |
| Nose in Arabic | ‘anf | أنف |
| Mouth in Arabic | fam | فم |
| Tooth in Arabic | sin | سن |
| Lip in Arabic | shifah | شفة |
| Tongue in Arabic | lisaan | لسان |
| Face in Arabic | wajah | وجه |
| Neck in Arabic | ‘unuq | عنق |
| Back in Arabic | Dhahr | ظهر |
| Chest in Arabic | Sadr | صدر |
| Belly in Arabic | batn | بطن |
| Skin in Arabic | jild | جلد |
| Brain in Arabic | dimaagh | دماغ |
| Lung in Arabic | ri’ah | رئة |
| Stomach in Arabic | mi’dah | معدة |
| Arm in Arabic | thirae’ | ذراع |
| Hand in Arabic | yad | يد |
| Leg in Arabic | rijil | رِجِل |
| Foot in Arabic | qadam | قدم |
| Toe in Arabic | isba’ ilqadam | إصبع القدم |
| Nail in Arabic | ‘uDhofor | أُظفُر |
| Palm in Arabic | rahat ilyad | راحة اليد |
| Thumb in Arabic | assabbabah | السبابة |
It’s worth mentioning here that there are some other words in Arabic that may sound close to the word sense (hassah), but mean something different.
| Instinct in Arabic | Hiss | حسّ |
| Sensitive in Arabic | Hassass | حسّاس |
| Feeling in Arabic | iHsaass | إحساس |
Also, you might know some expressions that involve the senses, like:
This makes no sense in Arabic / hathaa laysa lahu ‘ay ma’na / هذا ليسَ لهُ أي معنى
This is nonsense in Arabic / hathaa hura’a / هذا هُراء
Now that you’ve made sense of this list, how many words can you remember?
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