The Gulf Dialect

The Gulf Dialect

The Gulf dialect is branched off from the Arabic language. It is a term by which all the Arabic dialects in the Arab Gulf region and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are classified.

The Gulf Dialect: Gulf Countries

Countries that speak the Gulf dialect are the United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Qatar. The Omani dialect is not considered as a Gulf dialect. Their words and meanings are different. It is an ancient dialect that has been passed down through generations until this present time.

Emirati dialect
UAE Flag

The Emirati dialect is a branch of the Arabic language. It is similar to the Kuwaiti dialect in some words. In this dialect, the letter “qāf” (ق) is pronounced ” gā” (ج) and the letter “Jim” (جيم) is often pronounced as a “ya” (يا), such as “Masjid = Masyid.”

Emirati English
Aseer – اسير = اذهب Go
Dresha – دريشه = نافذه Window
Benaya – بنيه= بنت Girl
Hogra – حجره= غرفة Room
Abba – ابا= اريد Want
Kuwaiti dialect
Kuwait flag

The Kuwaiti dialect is a branch of the Arabic language as well and one of the Gulf dialects, but many of its words disappeared and new words appeared with the succession of different generations and the influence of different cultures.

The Kuwaiti dialect is characterized by two main branches:

  • The urban Kuwaiti dialect.
  • The Bedouin Kuwaiti dialect.

The difference between them appears in the pronouncement of the letter “Jim” (جيم) as in the urban dialect, it is pronounced as “ya” (يا), like the word “chicken” (دجاجة), is pronounced as “Diyya” (دياية), and the word “riyal” (رجال) for “rejal” (رجال) which means men. Also, the letter “qāf” (ق) is pronounced in the Kuwaiti dialect as “gā” (جا).

Kuwaiti English
Abi – أبي= اريد I want
Mokharbat – مخربط = سيئ Bad
Sakar – سكر= أقفل Close
Ashtebe – شتبي = ماذا تريد What do you want
Shnowa – شنو = ماذا What
Bahraini dialect
Bahrain flag

The Bahraini dialect is used by most of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Bahrain. And it speaks in two different dialects:

  • The Bahraini dialect (Baharnah dialect) is the most widespread and is used in most areas of Bahrain. It is a little similar to the Iraqi dialect.
  • The Gulf dialect, which is used in Muharraq, Riffa, Budaiya, Madinah, Umm Al Hassam, and some other areas. It is similar to the Qatari dialect with a difference in pronunciation.

There are many words in the Bahrani dialect that are not originally from the Arabic language, and the origins of these words go back to the Persian, Hindi, and Turkish languages as a result of these nationalities mixing with Baharna for a long time.

Bahrani Origin English
Doshak – دوشق= السرير Persian Bed
Saman – سامان= ادوات Hindi Tools
Nokhza – نوخذة= ربان Persian Capitan
Dresha – دريشة= النافذه Turkish Window
The Qatari Dialect
Qatar flag

The Qatari dialect is also derived from the Arabic language and is similar to the Kuwaiti dialect. “qāf” (ق) is pronounced ” gā” (ج) and also in some words the letter “Jim” (جيم) is often pronounced as a “ya” (يا)

Qatari English
مدوّح: مستدير = Madouh Round
الروع: الجزع = Al-rawah Fear
عوق: الم = ouk Pain
فتاه جميله: دعبوبة = Dahbouba Beautiful girl
Saudi dialect
Saudi Arabia flag

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the original homeland of the Arabic language. The Arabic dialects vary there according to the following factors: geography, tribal, civilization, and nomadism.

Saudi English
جر: اسحب = Gor Pull
يدبج : يستطدم = Yadbaj Crash
دبشه: غبي = Dabsha Stupid
مرتاع : خايف = Morataa afraid
Omani dialect
Oman flag

The Omani dialect is different than the Gulf dialect and other Arabic dialects. Its words and their meanings are different. It is a long-standing dialect inherited by generations to the present, and the Omani dialect varies from region to region and sometimes from one state to another. The dialect in the eastern region is different from the other regions such as Al-Batina, Mosandam, Al-Dakhleya, and Zafar.

The Muscat people’s accent is the one that is understood by all. As well as the people of Musandam because they are close to the Persians, they have been influenced by them, there are some Persian words they use in their Arabic speaking, so they are incomprehensible to those who do not understand Farsi. The eastern dialect and Al-Brimi province are also understood by the people of the UAE.

Omani English
لهجه: هرجة = Lahga Dialect
خروفة:الكلام = Kharoufah Utterance
اميلعط:ملخبط = Amelhat Messed up
تيتون:صغير = Taytoun Small

The Gulf dialect is an Arabic dialect and it is spoken by the Arab clans and tribes that inhabited the Arab Gulf region on its banks. The Gulf dialect has been affected by some vocabulary from neighboring regions such as Persian and Turkish and it also contains some Hindi or English words due to the mixing that occurred between these peoples in the Arab Gulf region.

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