Spatial Relationships And Directions In Arabic – Left, Right, Front, Back, and More

Download Kaleela

Exploring Arabic-speaking countries is an incredible experience, but knowing how to ask for and understand directions in Arabic is crucial. Imagine getting lost in the winding streets of a medina or needing to find a specific landmark. This guide will equip you with essential phrases and vocabulary, covering everything from left and right in Arabic to front and back in Arabic, ensuring you can navigate with confidence.

However, first you need to know how to ask for directions, as it is a very common situation for the foreigner abroad. To get help you can say men fathlek/fathleki (for male and female, respectively), which means “Excuse me,” or hal beemkanek mosa’adati? which translates to “Can you help me?”. Another variation for “Excuse me” is a’afwan, and it can be used if you have to stop somebody and ask for the way. You can also use a’afwan, as a reply to shukran (“Thank you”). In this case it means “You’re welcome.”

The following words can help you understand the directions you hear in Arabic-speaking countries.

To begin, here are some helpful phrases to use when you need assistance:

  • Excuse me (to a male): من فضلك | Min fadlik
  • Excuse me (to a female): من فضلكِ | Min fadliki
  • Excuse me (general): عفواً | Afwan
  • Can you help me?: هل يمكنك مساعدتي؟ | Hal yumkinuk musa’adati?
  • Where is…? : أين…؟ | Ayna…?
  • How do I get to…?: كيف أصل إلى…؟ | Kayfa asilu ila…?

To comprehend and give accurate directions in Arabic, you need to grasp fundamental spatial in Arabic vocabulary.

Cardinal Directions in Arabic (الاتجاهات الأصلية)

EnglishTransliterationArabic
North in ArabicShamalشمال
East in ArabicSharqشرق
West in ArabicGharbغرب
South in ArabicJanubجنوب

Left and Right in Arabic (اليسار واليمين)

EnglishTransliterationArabic
Right in ArabicYameenيمين
Left in ArabicYasarيسار
Right and left in Arabical-yameen wa-al-yasarاليمين واليسار
Right direction in ArabicIttijah al-yameenاتجاه اليمين
Left direction in ArabicIttijah al-yasarاتجاه اليسار

Front and Back in Arabic (الأمام والخلف)

EnglishTransliterationArabic
In front in ArabicFee al-muqadimaفي المُقَدِّمَة
In the back in ArabicFee al-mu’akhiraفي المُؤَخِرَة

Relative Positions (المواقع النسبية)

EnglishTransliterationArabic
Between in ArabicBaynبين
On top of in ArabicFawqفوق
Inside in ArabicDakhelداخل
Outside in ArabicKharejخارج
Under in ArabicTahtتحت
Up in ArabicA’laأعلى
Down in ArabicAsfalأسفل
Beside in ArabicBijanebبجانب
Next to in ArabicBijanibبجانب
In front of in ArabicAmamأمام
Around in ArabicHawlحول
Near in ArabicQareebقريب
Close in ArabicQareebقريب
Far in ArabicBa’eedبعيد
Distant in ArabicBa’eedبعيد
Lower in Arabic (bottom/closer)Adnaأدنى
Bottom in Arabic (below/lower)Asfalأسفل

Describing Movement and Navigation

EnglishTransliterationArabic
Go in Arabic (Imperative)Izhabاذهب
Turn in Arabic (Imperative)Lifلف
Straight in ArabicMustaqeemمستقيم
Before in ArabicQablقبل
After in ArabicBa’dبعد

Here are a few short dialogues to illustrate how to use these directions in Arabic effectively:

Dialogue 1: Asking for a Landmark

  • Traveler: عفواً، أين المتحف الوطني؟ (Afwan, ayna al-mathaf al-watani?) – Excuse me, where is the National Museum?
  • Local: اذهب مستقيمًا ثم انعطف يمينًا. (Ithhab mustaqiman thumma in’atif yaminan.) – Go straight then turn right.

Dialogue 2: Finding a Restaurant

  • Traveler: هل يمكنك مساعدتي؟ كيف أصل إلى المطعم؟ (Hal yumkinuk musa’adati? Kayfa asilu ila al-mat’am?) – Can you help me? How do I get to the restaurant?
  • Local: إنه على اليسار، بجانب الفندق. (Innahu ala al-yasar, bijanib al-funduq.) – It’s on the left, next to the hotel.

When asking for directions in Arabic, remember these cultural points:

  • Politeness: Always use polite phrases like afwan (excuse me) and min fadlik (please).
  • Greetings: Start with a friendly greeting like as-salamu alaykum (peace be upon you).
  • Gender: Be mindful of gender dynamics. In some contexts, it might be more appropriate for a man to ask another man for directions.
  • Gratitude: Express sincere gratitude with phrases like shukran jazeelan (thank you very much).

This guide provides you with essential spatial in Arabic vocabulary and phrases to confidently navigate in Arabic-speaking countries. Mastering these directions in Arabic will significantly enhance your travel experience.

If you liked this article and would like to learn Arabic, why not head over to our website and download the Kaleela Arabic learning app and learn to speak Arabic today?

Download Kaleela

The new version of the Kaleela app is now live

Update or download the Kaleela app