Adjectives In Arabic: 200+ List Of Common Arabic Adjectives

Adjectives are an integral part of any language, and Arabic is no exception. These descriptive words add color and detail to our sentences, helping us to better convey our thoughts and ideas. 

In this lesson, we will explore the various aspects of adjectives in Arabic, including their forms, uses, and variations.

What Is Adjectives In Arabic?

In Arabic the adjective (a word describing the noun) is either called “Na’t” نَعْتٌ or “As-siffah” الصِّفَةُ, and the noun it qualifies is called “Man’ut مَنْعُوتٌ or “Al-mawsuff” الْمَوْصُوفُ and the clause thus formed is called either النَّعْتُ والْمَنْعُوتُ  or الْمُرَكَّبُ الوَصْفِيُّ . 

In Arabic, adjectives are placed after the noun they describe, and they must match the gender and number of the noun.

In the English language, when we want to describe a noun we say for example a good boy, the adjective (description) comes before the noun. 

However in Arabic the word being used for the description (adjective) comes after the noun, for example,  وَلَدٌ جَيِّدٌ or طَالِبٌ كَسْلانُ if translated linguistically means “Boy good” or “student lazy” but literally it means “Good boy” or “Lazy student“.

• A dirty handkerchief   مِنْدِيلٌ وَسِخٌ
• An intelligent student  طَالِبَةٌ ذَكِيَّةٌ

The adjectives that express feelings normally end with (-an) and bear no Tanween on their ending letters e.g:

• Thirsty   عَطْشَانُ
• Hungry   جَوْعَانُ
• Full   مَلآنُ
• Angry   غَضْبَانُ
• Happy   فَرْحَانُ

One of the unique features of Arabic adjectives is their system of agreement. In Arabic, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify 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 is important for ensuring that the adjective and noun match in gender and number, and it helps to make the sentence clear and grammatically correct.

READ ALSO Arabic Personal Pronouns With Examples (Essential 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

Definiteness agreement

When an adjective is added to describe a noun or a noun phrase, it must agree with it in definiteness. That is, the indefinite noun is followed by an indefinite adjective, and the definite noun is follow by a definite adjective

Both the adjective and the noun must be either definite or indefinite. 

Therefore if the noun is definite, then the adjective which is describing the noun will also be definite e.g.  الْمَكْتَبُ الْقَدِيمُ meaning “The old table” and when the noun is indefinite the adjective will also be indefinite e.g. كِتَابٌ جَدِيدٌ meaning “A new book“. More examples:

• The big city  الْمَدِينَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ
• A poor man  رَجُلٌ فَقِيرٌ

Note that if the adjective after the nouns or the noun phrases is نَكِرَة (indefinite), it is no longer an adjective. Instead, it is a noun functioning as خَبَر forming a nominal sentence. For example الكِتَاب جَدِيْد means the book is new not the new book.

Gender Agreement

The adjective always follows the noun which it is describing in gender. The adjective of a masculine noun is masculine and that of a feminine noun is feminine. For example we say: 

• A young boy   وَلَدٌ صَغِيرٌ  
• A young girl   بِنْتٌ صَغِيرَةٌ
• A famous engineer   مُهَنْدِسٌ شَهِيرٌ
• A tasty apple   تُفَّاحَةٌ لَذِيذَةٌ

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

Number Agreement

When an adjective is added to a noun, it must agree with it in number. That is, if the noun is singular, the adjective must be singular; if it is dual, the adjective must be dual; and if it plural, the adjective must be plural.

Arabic Dual Adjectives

Another interesting feature of Arabic adjectives is the use of the dual form, which is used to describe nouns that come in dual. ان is added to nouns to make dual for masculine and feminine.

Consider the following examples:

• Two observant Muslims  مُسْلِمَان مُلْتَزِمَان
• Two excellent engineers  مُهْنْدِسَان مُمْتَازَان
• Two new books   كِتَابَان جَدِيْدَان
• Two beautiful girls   بِنْتَان جَمِيْلَتَان

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

Case Agreement

In addition to matching the gender and number of the noun, Arabic adjectives must also agree with the noun in case. 

This means that the ending of the adjective must change depending on the role of the noun in the sentence.

In Arabic, adjectives can have up to three different forms, depending on their use in the sentence. 

• The first form, known as the nominative, is used when the adjective is the subject of the sentence. 
• The second form, known as the accusative, is used when the adjective is the direct object of the sentence. 
• The third form, known as the genitive, is used when the adjective is the object of a preposition.

The adjective has the same case as the noun i.e., if the noun is in the nominative case, the adjective will also be in the nominative case e.g., الدَّرْسُ الصَّعْبُ meaning “The difficult lesson“, 

If the noun is in the accusative case then the adjective will also be in the accusative case and if the noun is in the genitive case then the adjective will also be in the genitive case e.g. ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إلى صَدِيقٍ مَرِيضٍ Ahmad went to an ill friend.

Nominative Examples

• This is a new teacher   هَـٰذَا مُدَرِّسٌ جَدِيدٌ
• The old book is at home   الْكِتَابُ القَدِيمُ فِي الْبَيْتِ
• America is a big country   أَمْرِيكَا بَلَدٌ كَبِيرٌ
• This is the new fan   هَـٰذِهِ الْمِرْوَحَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ
• A seagull is a beautiful bird   النَّوْرَسُ طَيْرٌ جَمِيلٌ
• This is a crowded road   هَذَا طَرِيقٌ مُزْدَحِمٌ
• The clean room  الْغُرْفَةُ النَّظِيفَةُ

Genitive examples

• The pen is in the small bag  الْقَلَمُ فِي الْحَقِيبَةِ الصَّغِيرَةِ
• The water is in a broken glass  الْمَاءُ فِي كَأْسٍ مَكْسُورٍ
• Ahmad entered into a vast building  دَخَلَ أَحْمَدُ فِي مَنْزِلٍ كَبِيرٍ

Case is called عَلاَمَة الإِعْرَاب ‘word final diacritical mark / parsing mark’ in Arabic. There are three basic parsing marks فَتْحَة, ضَمَّة, and كَسْرَة. 

• When the noun or the adjective is assigned ضَمَّة, it is called مَرْفُوْع ‘nominative’. 
• If assigned فَتْحَة, it is called مَنْصُوب ‘accusative’. 
• If assigned كَسْرَة, it is called مَجْرُور ‘genitive.’

The secondary parsing marks are ان, وَن, يْنِ, and يْنَ. The ان is for masculine and feminine dual, and the وَن is for sound masculine plural. Both mark the nominative case. 

The يْنِ with kasrah below the nuun is for dual, and the يْنَ with fatHah over the nuun is for the sound masculine plural. They mark the accusative and genitive cases.

Case assignment is determined by the position of the word in the sentence or by certain particles that precede the noun.

One common mistake made by learners of Arabic is not properly conjugating the adjective to match the gender and number of the noun.

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.

pronunciation written next to it.

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).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Arabic adjectives are an essential part of the language and add richness to the sentences. With practice and exposure to the language, it is possible to become proficient in using adjectives in Arabic.