How to Say Beautiful in Arabic

Last Updated: February 10, 2023 Approved

Arabic is spoken widely in the Middle East and North Africa. In most Arabic countries, you can say "jameel" (جميل) to refer to a male, and "jameela" to refer to a woman. Pronounce it "ja-meel" or "jah-meela", but be aware that people in some areas pronounce the word with a hard "J" – like "gah-meela".

Steps

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Say "jameel" to refer to a male, or "jameela" to refer to a woman. In Arabic, this translates directly to "beautiful".^{[1]
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Research source} Pronounce it "jah-meel" or "jah-meel-ah". The Arabic character is: جميل.^{[2]
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- Some Arabic speakers (e.g. Egyptians) tend to pronounce the word with a hard "J", as in "gah-meel" or "gah-meelah". Be aware that people may make assumptions about you if you pronounce the word in a certain way. Listen carefully before you speak, and try to take your cues from those around you.^{[3]
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- Bear in mind that "jameel" and "jameela" are only phonetic approximations of the Arabic word (جميل). There is one official way to spell these words in Arabic, but you may come across various acceptable English spellings: jamila, jameelah, gamila, gameela, etc. The important thing is that you know how to say it.
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Do not say "jameel" or "jameela" about things that are only beautiful on the surface. When Arabs say "jameel", they mean more than just "good-looking". The term refers to a deep, inner beauty, as in, "there's something beautiful inside you". Respect the word and the culture by only calling something "jameel" if you are truly impressed by its inner beauty.

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3
Say "Antee jameela" (female) or "Enta jameel" (male) to mean "you are beautiful". Pronounce it "an-tay jah-meelah" (female) or "enta jah-meel" (male).
- Be careful with your words. Only call women "jameela" if you know them or you are meeting them formally. Don't go around saying this to women that you don't know, or they may think that you have bad intentions toward them.
- Call a woman "ya amar" (يا قمر) to mean "my moon" or "my most beautiful". Pronounce it "ya kamar". This is a powerful phrase, so only use it if you truly mean it.^{[4]
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Note that "jameel" is also sometimes used to mean "good". Say "hatha jameel" or "da gameel" if you like something and you think it is good or beautiful. Pronounce it "hah-thuh jah-meel".

Community Q&A

Question

How do you say, "You are the most beautiful girl to me"?

Community Answer

"Anti ajmal fatat indi" or "anti ajmal bint binisbati li". Both are correct.
Question

How do I say, "I will always be your boyfriend"?

Community Answer

"Daiman (rhymes with diamond) ba akoon habeebak." Habibak means 'your lover,' there in no Arabic word for boyfriend.
Question

How do I say "your children are beautiful" in Arabic?

Community Answer

It depends if you're saying it to a man or a woman. For women: in-na atfalaki jameeloona lil gaga. For men: in-na atfalaka jameeloona lil ghaya. The only difference is in the word 'children', which is 'atfalika' for men and 'atfaliki' for women.