Adjectives In Arabic Plus 200+ List Of Common Arabic Adjectives
Adjectives are important in any language, and Arabic is no different. They add detail and color to our sentences, helping us express our ideas more clearly.
In this lesson, we’ll look at how adjectives work in Arabic, including their forms, uses, and different types.
What Are Adjectives in Arabic?
In Arabic, an adjective (a word that describes a noun) is called “Na’t” (نَعْتٌ) or “As-siffah” (الصِّفَةُ). The noun it describes is called “Man’ut” (مَنْعُوتٌ) or “Al-mawsuff” (الْمَوْصُوفُ). The phrase formed is either called “النَّعْتُ وَالْمَنْعُوتُ” or “الْمُرَكَّبُ الوَصْفِيُّ”.
In Arabic, adjectives come after the noun they describe, and they must match the noun in gender and number.
In English, we usually place the adjective before the noun, like “good boy.”
However, in Arabic, the adjective follows the noun. For example:
- “وَلَدٌ جَيِّدٌ” means “Good boy.”
- “طَالِبٌ كَسْلانُ” means “Lazy student.”
Some examples:
- “مِنْدِيلٌ وَسِخٌ” means “A dirty handkerchief.”
- “طَالِبَةٌ ذَكِيَّةٌ” means “An intelligent student.”
Adjectives that show feelings often end in “-an” and do not have Tanween at the end, such as:
- “عَطْشَانُ” (Thirsty)
- “جَوْعَانُ” (Hungry)
- “مَلآنُ” (Full)
- “غَضْبَانُ” (Angry)
- “فَرْحَانُ” (Happy)
A unique feature of Arabic adjectives is that they must agree with the noun in gender and number.
For example, if the noun is masculine and singular, the adjective must also be masculine and singular. If the noun is feminine and plural, the adjective must be feminine and plural.
This agreement helps make sentences clear and grammatically correct.
RELATED: Conjunction In Arabic: A Quick And Easy Guide
Rules Of Adjective In Arabic
Following are the rules pertained for the formation of the adjective clause:
- Definiteness agreement
- Number Agreement
- Gender Agreement
- Case Agreement
1. Definiteness Agreement
When you use an adjective to describe a noun or noun phrase, the adjective must match the noun in terms of definiteness. This means:
- If the noun is definite (specific), the adjective must also be definite.
- If the noun is indefinite (general), the adjective must also be indefinite.
For example:
- If the noun is definite: “الْمَكْتَبُ الْقَدِيمُ” (The old table).
- If the noun is indefinite: “كِتَابٌ جَدِيدٌ” (A new book).
More examples:
- “الْمَدِينَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ” (The big city)
- “رَجُلٌ فَقِيرٌ” (A poor man)
If the adjective is indefinite, it is not acting as an adjective but as a noun that forms a nominal sentence. For example, “الكِتَاب جَدِيد” means “The book is new” rather than “The new book.”
2. Gender Agreement
The adjective must match the noun it describes in gender.
- A masculine noun gets a masculine adjective.
- A feminine noun gets a feminine adjective.
For example:
- “وَلَدٌ صَغِيرٌ” (A young boy)
- “بِنْتٌ صَغِيرَةٌ” (A young girl)
- “مُهَنْدِسٌ شَهِيرٌ” (A famous engineer)
- “تُفَّاحَةٌ لَذِيذَةٌ” (A tasty apple)
Examples of female and male adjectives are:
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Beautiful in Arabic | m: jameel f: jameela | جميل جميلة |
| Good in Arabic | m: jayeed f: jayeda | جيد جيدة |
| Happy in Arabic | m: sa’eed f: sa’eeda | سعيد سعيدة |
| Sad in Arabic | m: hazeen f: hazeena | حزين حزينة |
| Tired in Arabic | m: mot’ab f: mot’ba | متعب متعبة |
| Delicious in Arabic | m: latheeth f: lathetha | لذيذ لذيذة |
| Bad in Arabic | m: saye’ f: saye’a | سيئ سيئة |
| Nice in Arabic | m: lateef f: lateefa | لطيف لطيفة |
| Cold in Arabic | m: barid f: bareda | بارد باردة |
| Spicy in Arabic | m: harr f: harrah | حار حارة |
| Hot in Arabic | m: sakhen f: sakhena | ساخن ساخنة |
| Light in Arabic | m: mode’ f: mode’a | مضيئ مضيئة |
| Dark in Arabic | m: mothlem f: mothlema | مظلم مظلمة |
| Easy in Arabic | m: sahl f: sahla | سهل سهلة |
| Black | m: aswad f: sawdaa’ | أَسْودُ سَوْداءُ |
| Red | m: ahmar f: hamraa | أحْمَرُ حمراء |
| Blue | m: azraq f: zarqaa | أزْرَقُ زَرْقَاءُ |
| Green | m: akhddar f: khadraa | اخضر خضراء |
| Blind | m: a3maa f: 3amyaa | أَعْرَجُ عَمْيَاءُ |
| White | m: abyad f: baydaa | ابيض بيضاء |
| Yellow | m: asfar f: safraa | اصفر صفراء |
| Deef | m: attrasj f: ttarsjaa | أَطْرَشُ طَرْشَاءُ |
| Dumb | m: agras f: garsaa | أخْرَسُ خَرْسَاءُ |
| Lame | m: aradj f: ardjaa | أَعْرَجُ عَرْجَاءُ |
3. Number Agreement
When using an adjective to describe a noun, the adjective must match the noun in number. This means:
- If the noun is singular, the adjective must be singular.
- If the noun is dual, the adjective must be dual.
- If the noun is plural, the adjective must be plural.
Arabic Dual Adjectives
Arabic has a special form for describing two items, called the dual form. To make a noun dual, you add “ان” to it for both masculine and feminine nouns.
Here are some examples:
- “مُسْلِمَان مُلْتَزِمَان” (Two observant Muslims)
- “مُهْنِدِسَان مُمْتَازَان” (Two excellent engineers)
- “كِتَابَان جَدِيدَان” (Two new books)
- “بِنْتَان جَمِيلَتَان” (Two beautiful girls)
Arabic Plural Adjectives
Some examples of Arabic plural adjectives are:
| Adjective Singular | Adjective plural | Meaning |
| Stingy in Arabic | بَخِيْلٌ | بُخَلاَءُ |
| Ignorant in Arabic | جَاهِلٌ | جُهَلاَءُ |
| Beautiful, handsome, good looking | جَمِيْلٌ | جُمَلَاءُ |
| Present in Arabic | حَاضِرٌ | حَاضِرُوْنَ |
| Sad in Arabic | حَزِيْنٌ | حُزَنَاءُ |
| Honest in Arabic | أَمِيْنٌ | أُمَنَاءُ |
| Happy in Arabic | سَعِيْدٌ | سُعَدَاءُ |
| Clever in Arabic | ذَكِيٌّ | أَذْكِيَاءُ |
| Miserable, naughty | شَقِيٌّ | أَشْقِيَاءُ |
| Fat in Arabic | سَمِيْنٌ | سِمَانٌ |
| Truthful in Arabic | صَادِقٌ | صَادِقُونَ |
| Pious in Arabic | صَالِحٌ | صَالِحُونَ |
| Evil, bad | طَالِحٌ | طَالِحُوْنَ |
| Small in Arabic | صَغِيْرٌ | صِغَارٌ |
| Poor in Arabic | فَقِيْرٌ | فُقَرَاءُ |
| Rich in Arabic | غَنِيٌّ | أَغْنِيَاءُ |
| Happy in Arabic | فَرِحٌ | فَرِحُونَ |
| Bad in Arabic | قِبَاحٌ | قِبَاحٌ |
| Tall in Arabic | طَوِيْلٌ | طِوَالٌ |
| Short in Arabic | قَصِيْرٌ | قِصَارٌ |
| Liar; untruthful | كَاذِبٌ | كَاذِبُوْنَ |
| Skillful in Arabic | مَاهِرٌ | مَهَرَةٌ |
| Lazy in Arabic | كَسْلاَنُ | كَسَالَى |
| Enthusiastic; active | نَشِيْطٌ | نَشِيْطُونَ |
| Thin in Arabic | نَحِيْفٌ | نِحَافٌ |
| Blunt in Arabic | كَلِيْلٌ | كِلاَلٌ |
| Sharp in Arabic | حَادٌّ | حِدَادٌ |
| Big in Arabic | كَبِيْرٌ | كِبَارٌ |
| Diligent in Arabic | مُجْتَهِدٌ | مُجْتَهِدُوْنَ |
| Weak in Arabic | ضَعِيْفٌ | ضُعَفَاءُ |
| Clean in Arabic | نَظِيفٌ | نَظِيْفُوْنَ |
| Stupid in Arabic | غَبِيّ | أَغْبِيَاءُ |
| Strong in Arabic | قَوِيٌّ | أقْوِيَاءُ |
| Delicious in Arabic | لَذِيْذٌ | لُذٌّ ; لِذَاذٌ |
| Tasteless in Arabic | تَفِهٌ | تَافِهُوْنَ |
| Bitter in Arabic | مُرٌّ | أَمْرَارٌ |
| Sweet in Arabic | حُلْوٌ | حُلْوُونَ |
| Good in Arabic | جَيِّدٌ | جِيَدٌ |
| Old in Arabic | قَدِيْمٌ | قُدَمَاءُ |
| New in Arabic | جَدِيْدٌ | جُدُدٌ |
| Far in Arabic | بَعِيْدٌ | بَعِيْدُونَ |
| Near in Arabic | قَرِيبٌ | قَرَائِبُ |
| Lame in Arabic | عُرْجٌ | أَعْرَجُ |
4. Case Agreement
In Arabic, adjectives must match the noun not only in gender and number but also in case. This means the ending of the adjective changes based on the role of the noun in the sentence.
There are three main cases for adjectives in Arabic:
- Nominative: Used when the adjective is the subject of the sentence.
- Accusative: Used when the adjective is the direct object.
- Genitive: Used when the adjective follows a preposition.
The adjective takes the same case as the noun it describes. For example:
- If the noun is in the nominative case: “الدَّرْسُ الصَّعْبُ” (The difficult lesson)
- If the noun is in the accusative case: “ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إلى صَدِيقٍ مَرِيضٍ” (Ahmad went to an ill friend)
- If the noun is in the genitive case: “دَخَلَ أَحْمَدُ فِي مَنْزِلٍ كَبِيرٍ” (Ahmad entered a large building)
Examples:
- Nominative Case:
- “هَـٰذَا مُدَرِّسٌ جَدِيدٌ” (This is a new teacher)
- “الْكِتَابُ القَدِيمُ فِي الْبَيْتِ” (The old book is at home)
- “أَمْرِيكَا بَلَدٌ كَبِيرٌ” (America is a big country)
- Genitive Case:
- “الْقَلَمُ فِي الْحَقِيبَةِ الصَّغِيرَةِ” (The pen is in the small bag)
- “الْمَاءُ فِي كَأْسٍ مَكْسُورٍ” (The water is in a broken glass)
- “دَخَلَ أَحْمَدُ فِي مَنْزِلٍ كَبِيرٍ” (Ahmad entered a large building)
Case Markings:
In Arabic, case is indicated by specific markings called parsing marks:
- ضَمَّة (Dammah) indicates the nominative case.
- فَتْحَة (Fatha) indicates the accusative case.
- كَسْرَة (Kasrah) indicates the genitive case.
For dual and plural forms:
- ان is added for dual nouns in the nominative case.
- وَن is used for sound masculine plural in the nominative case.
- يْنِ with Kasrah is for dual in the genitive and accusative cases.
- يْنَ with Fatha is for sound masculine plural in the genitive and accusative cases.
These case markings depend on the noun’s position in the sentence or specific particles that come before the noun.
A common mistake learners make is not matching the adjective’s case, gender, and number with the noun correctly.
List Of Arabic Adjectives To Describe A Person
Below you will find a list of many Arabic adjectives useful while describing someone’s personality.
| English | Adjectives in Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Adventurous in Arabic | مُغامِر | mughaamir |
| Affectionate, loving | حَنون | Hanuun |
| Ambitious in Arabic | طَمُوح | TamuuH |
| Arrogant in Arabic | مُتَكَبِّر | mutakabbir |
| Assertive in Arabic | حازِم | Haazim |
| Bold in Arabic | جَرِيء | jarii’i |
| Boring/ dull | مُمِلّ | mumill |
| Brave in Arabic | شُجَاع | shujaa3 |
| Calm in Arabic | هادِئ | haadi’ |
| Careless in Arabic | مُهْمِل | muhmil |
| Cautious/ careful | حَذِر | Hadhir |
| Charismatic in Arabic | كاريزْميّ | kaarizmiy |
| Charming in Arabic | جَذّاب | jadhdhaab |
| Cheerful in Arabic | مَبْسُوط | mabsuuT |
| Classy/ sophisticated | أنيق | aniiq |
| Clever in Arabic | شَاطِر | shaaTir |
| Compassionate/ sympathetic | عَطُوف | 3aTuuf |
| Confident in Arabic | وَاثِق | waathiq |
| Conservative in Arabic | مُحَافِظ | muHaafiDH |
| Creative in Arabic | مُبْدِع | mubdi3 |
| Curious in Arabic | فُضُولِيّ | fuDuuliy |
| Cute in Arabic | جَذّاب | jadhdhaab |
| Diplomatic in Arabic | دِبْلومَاسِيّ | dibluumaasiy |
| Disciplined in Arabic | مُنْضَبِط | munDabiT |
| Emotional/ sensitive | حَسّاس | Hassaas |
| Energetic in Arabic | نَشيط | nashiiT |
| Friendly in Arabic | وَدود | waduud |
| Funny in Arabic | مُضْحِك | muDHik |
| Generous in Arabic | كَريم | kariim |
| Greedy in Arabic | بَخِيل | bakhiil |
| Grumpy/ moody | نَكَدِيّ | nakadiy |
| Hardworking in Arabic | مُجْتَهِد | mujtahid |
| Hasty in Arabic | مُتَسَرَّع | mutasarra3 |
| Helpful in Arabic | مُفيد | mufiid |
| Honest in Arabic | صَريح | SariiH |
| Jealous/ envious | حَسود | Hasuud |
| Kind/ nice | لَطيف | LaTiif |
| Lazy in Arabic | كَسول | kasuul |
| Loyal/ faithful | مُخْلِص | mukhliS |
| Mean/ wicked | لَئِيم | la’iim |
| Modest/ humble | مُتَوَاضِع | mutawaadi3 |
| Naive in Arabic | سَاذِج | saadhij |
| Negative in Arabic | سَلْبيّ | salbiy |
| Optimistic in Arabic | مُتَفائل | mutafaa’il |
| Organized in Arabic | مُنَظَّم | munaDHDHam |
| Patient in Arabic | صَبور | Sabuur |
| Pessimistic in Arabic | مُتَشائِم | mutashaa’im |
| Polite in Arabic | مُؤَدََب | mu’addab |
| Positive in Arabic | إِيْجَابِيّ | iijaabiy |
| Punctual in Arabic | مُنْضَبِط | munDHabit |
| Rational, reasonable | عَقْلانِيّ | 3aqlaaniy |
| Reserved in Arabic | مُتَحَفِّظ | mutaHaffiDH |
| Respectful in Arabic | مُحْتَرَم | muHtaram |
| Responsible in Arabic | مَسْؤول | mas’uul |
| Romantic in Arabic | رومانسيّ | ruumaansiy |
| Rude in Arabic | وَقِح | waqiH |
| Selfish in Arabic | أنانيّ | anaaniy |
| Sloppy in Arabic | قَذِر | qadhir |
| Sociable in Arabic | اِجْتِماعيّ | ijtimaa3iy |
| Stubborn in Arabic | عَنيد | 3aniid |
| Straightforward in Arabic | صَريح | SariiH |
| Strong in Arabic | قَوِيّ | qawiy |
| Tolerant in Arabic | مُتَسامِح | mutasaamiH |
| Trustworthy in Arabic | مَوْثوق | mawthuuq |
| Unique in Arabic | فَريد | fariid |
| Weak in Arabic | ضَعيف | Da3iif |
List Of Adjectives In Arabic And English
Here is a list of many Arabic adjectives useful in Arabic and English.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| Beautiful | جَميل |
| Ugly | قَبيح |
| Old | قَديم |
| New | جَديد |
| Hot | ساخِن |
| Cold | بارِد |
| Big | كَبير |
| Small | صَغير |
| Cheap | رَخيص |
| Expensive | غالي |
| Good | جَيِّد |
| Bad | سَيِّء |
| Long | طَويل |
| Short | قَصير |
| Early | مُبَكِّر |
| Late | مُتَأَخِّر |
| Many/ much | كَثير |
| Little | قَليل |
| Important | مُهِمّ |
| Different | مُخْتَلِف |
| Busy | مَشْغول |
| Clean | نَظيف |
| Dirty | وَسِخ |
| Hard/ difficult | صَعْب |
| Easy | سَهْل |
| Old | كَبير |
| Young | صَغير |
| Weird | غَريب |
| Strong | قَوِيّ |
| Weak | ضَعيف |
| Tall | طَويل |
| Short | قَصير |
| Fat | سَمين |
| Thin | نَحيف |
| Poor | فَقير |
| Rich | غَنِيّ |
| Heavy | ثَقيل |
| Light | خَفيف |
| Fast | سَريع |
| Slow | بَطيء |
| Lazy | كَسول |
| Sad | حَزين |
| Happy | مَسْرور |
| Boring | مُمِلّ |
| Smart | ذَكِيّ |
| Stupid | غَبِيّ |
| Blue | أَزرَق |
| Gray | رَمادي |
| White | أبيض |
| Green | أَخضَر |
| Black | أسود |
| Raw | نَيِئ |
| Orange | بُرتُقالي |
| Red | أَحمَر |
| Yellow | أَصفَر |
| Brown | بُنّي |
| sweet | حُلو |
| fried in Arabic | مَقلي |
| bitter | مر |
| sour in Arabic | حامِض |
| spicy in Arabic | حار |
| cooked in Arabic | |
| salty in Arabic | مالِح |
| fresh in Arabic | طازَج |
| frightened in Arabic | خائِف |
| angry | غاضِب |
| shy in Arabic | خَجول |
| nervous in Arabic | قَلِق |
| wicked; malicious | شرير |
| confused in Arabic | حائِر |
| regretful in Arabic | نادِم |
| annoyed; upset | مُنزَعِج |
| content; satisfied | راضي |
| proud in Arabic | |
| bald in Arabic | أَصلَع |
| bearded in Arabic | مُلتَحي |
| old; elderly | عَجوز |
| young in Arabic | شاب |
| heavy in Arabic | ثَقيل |
| vast; wide | شاسِع |
| terrible in Arabic | رَهيب |
| huge in Arabic | ضَخم |
| great in Arabic | عَظيم |
| rainy in Arabic | مُمطِر |
| windy in Arabic | عاصِف |
| cloudy in Arabic | غائِم |
| sunny in Arabic | مُشمِس |
| cold in Arabic | بارِد |
| shiny in Arabic | لامِع |
| cracked in Arabic | مُتَشَقِّق |
| smooth in Arabic | أَملَس |
| rough in Arabic | خَشِن |
| humid in Arabic | رَطِب |
| fragile in Arabic | هَش |
| sticky in Arabic | لَزِج |
| wet in Arabic | |
| slippery in Arabic | زَلِق |
| dry in Arabic | جاف |
| public in Arabic | عام |
| private; special | خاص |
| difficult in Arabic | صَعب |
| important in Arabic | هام |
| soft in Arabic | ناعِم |
| boring in Arabic | مُمِل |
| true; correct | صَحيح |
| wrong in Arabic | خاطِئ |
| simple in Arabic | بَسيط |
| clear; obvious | وَاضِح |
| complex in Arabic | مُعَقَّد |
In order for the adjective to be feminine, we must add ta marbuta [ة] at the end of it. For example: جَميل [jamiil] (beautiful masculine) – جَميلة [jamiila] (beautiful feminine).
