اللهجة الليبية

Libyan Arabic

Afro-Asiatic (Semitic)

FamilyAfro-Asiatic (Semitic) Speakers~4.2–5M (Libya + diaspora) ScriptArabic / Latin (Arabizi, informal online use) CountriesLibya Official inNo status of its own: Libya's 2011 Constitutional Declaration art. 1 makes Arabic the official language, and the standard form used in government and schooling is Modern Standard Arabic. Libyan Arabic is the spoken vernacular only.

Libyan Arabic (ISO 639-3: ayl) is a Maghrebi Arabic continuum spoken throughout Libya and among diaspora communities. It belongs to the Semitic branch of Afro-Asiatic and is the everyday vernacular, while Modern Standard Arabic is used for formal writing, education, and official functions. Major regional groupings are commonly described as western or Tripolitanian, eastern or Cyrenaican, and southern or Fezzan, with further urban, rural, and Bedouin variation. Its vocabulary and phonology reflect historical contact with Amazigh, Ottoman Turkish, Italian, and neighboring Arabic varieties, and it is normally written informally in Arabic script or represented in Latin characters online.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Libyan Arabic

Water

مية

majja

Fire

نار

naːr

Sun

شمس

ʃəmɛs

Moon

قمر

ɡəmɛr

Star

نجمة

nədʒma

Night

ليل

liːl

Rain

مطر

matˤar

Snow

ثلج

talʒ

Wind

ريح

riːħ

Earth

تراب

traːb

Stone

حجر

ħadʒar

Mountain

جبل

ʒbal

Sea

بحر

bħar

Mother

أم

ʔɛmm

Father

بو

buː

Daughter

بنت

bint

I

أنا

aːna

You

إنت

ənta

We

حنا

ħna

Name

اسم

isəm

Head

راس

raːs

Eye

عين

ʕeːn

Ear

ودن

wudin

Mouth

فم

fumm

Tooth

سن

sinː

Tongue

لسان

lsaːn

Hand

إيد

ʔiːd

Foot

كراع

kraːʕ

Heart

قلب

ɡalb

Bone

عضمة

ˈʕadˤma

Blood

دم

damː

Poop

كاكا

kaːka

Love

حب

ħɛb

Tree

شجرة

ˈʃəʒra

Dog

كلب

kalb

Cat

قطوس

ɡatˤːuːs

Fish

حوتة

ˈħuːta

Bird

طير

tˤiːr

Egg

بيضة

ˈbeːdˤa

Bear

دب

dubb

House

حوش

ħoːʃ

Milk

حليب

ħaliːb

Honey

عسل

ʕsal

Salt

ملح

məlħ

Iron

حديد

ħadiːd

Wheel

عجلة

ʕadʒala

Eat

أكل

ʔakɛl

Drink

شرب

ʃɛrɛb

Sleep

رقد

rɡəd

One

واحد

waːħɛd

Two

اثنين

itneːn

Three

تلاتة

tlaːta

Four

أربعة

ˈʔarbaʕa

Five

خمسة

xamsa

Hundred

مية

ˈmija

Hello

أهلا

ʔəhlæ

Thank you

شكرا

ʃukra

Good

باهي

ˈbaːhi

New

جديد

dʒdiːd

Red

أحمر

ˈʔaħmar

White

أبيض

ʔabjadˤ

Black

أسود

ˈʔaswid

Green

أخضر

ˈʔaxdˤar

Cuckoo

وَقْوَاق

waqˈwaːq

Woof

هَوْ هَوْ

haw haw

Computer

كمبيوتر

kambjuːtar

Sushi

سوشي

suːʃiː

Tea

شاهي

ʃaːhi

Coffee

قهوة

ˈɡahwa

Sugar

سكر

ˈsukkur

Orange

برتقال

burtuˈɡaːl

Ninety-nine

تسعة وتسعين

tisʕa w tisʕiːn

Dopamine

دوبامين

duːbaːˈmiːn

At sign

آت

ʔaːt

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Afro-Asiatic (Semitic)

Meaning Libyan ArabicHijazi ArabicQatari ArabicIraqi ArabicBahrani ArabicPalestinian ArabicSudanese Arabic
Water مية /majja/ موية /ˈmoːja/ مي /meː/ ماي /maːj/ مي /miː/ ميّ /majj/ موية /moːja/
Fire نار /naːr/ نار /naːɾ/ نار /naːr/ نار /naːɾ/ نار /nɑːr/ نار /naːr/ نار /naːɾ/
Sun شمس /ʃəmɛs/ شمس /ʃams/ شمس /ʃɑms/ شمس /ʃamis/ شمس /ʃæms/ شمس /ʃams/ شمس /ʃams/
Moon قمر /ɡəmɛr/ قمر /ɡamaɾ/ قمر /ɡɑmɑr/ قمر /ɡamaɾ/ قمر /ɡɑmɑr/ قمر /ʔamar/ قمر /ɡamaɾ/
Star نجمة /nədʒma/ نجمة /nadʒma/ نجمة /nɪjma/ نجمة /ˈnɪdʒma/ نجمة /nɪdʒma/ نجمة /niʒme/ نجمة /ˈnadʒma/
Night ليل /liːl/ ليل /leːl/ ليل /leːl/ ليل /leːl/ ليل /leːl/ ليل /leːl/ ليل /leːl/
Rain مطر /matˤar/ مطر /matˤar/ مطر /mɪtˤar/ مطر /matˤaɾ/ مطر /mətˤar/ مطر /matˤar/ مطر /matˤar/
Snow ثلج /talʒ/ ثلج /taldʒ/ ثلج /θaldʒ/ ثلج /θaldʒ/ ثلج /θalʒ/ تلج /talʒ/ تلج /taldʒ/
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