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Islamic phrases

JazakAllah Khair in Arabic

JazakAllah khair in Arabic is جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا (jazāka llāhu khayran), meaning "may God reward you with good." Muslims use it as a heartfelt thank you. Say jazāki to a woman and jazākum to a group. The usual reply is وَإِيَّاكَ (wa iyyāk), "and you too," or وَإِيَّاكُمْ (wa iyyākum) for a group.

جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا
jazāka llāhu khayran

Literally: “may God reward you (with) good”

Used by Muslims everywhere; the ending changes for a woman (jazāki) or a group (jazākum)
By dialect

JazakAllah Khair across the Arab world

Arabic changes from country to country. Here's what you'll actually hear.

Standard (MSA)جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًاjazāka llāhu khayran

The full classical form, the same in every country.

Egyptianجزاك الله خيرgazāk allāh khēr

Same phrase, usually with the Egyptian g sound and without the -an ending.

Levantineجزاك الله خيرjazāk alla khēr

Same phrase, said quickly. In daily life many people say يسلمو (yislamu) for a casual thanks.

Gulfجزاك الله خيرjazāk allāh khēr

Same phrase and very common in speech and texts, often next to الله يعطيك العافية (allāh yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfya).
Variations

Other ways to say jazakallah khair

ArabicMeaningWhen to use it
جَزَاكِ اللهُ خَيْرًاjazāki llāhu khayran
May God reward you with good (to a woman)All dialects
جَزَاكُمُ اللهُ خَيْرًاjazākumu llāhu khayran
May God reward you with good (to a group, or respectfully to one person)All dialects; common in announcements and sermons
جَزَاكُمَا اللهُ خَيْرًاjazākumā llāhu khayran
May God reward you both with good (to two people)Classical/MSA dual; rare in dialect speech
جزاك الله خيرjazāk allāh khēr
May God reward you with goodEveryday spoken form across dialects
جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرَ الْجَزَاءِjazāka llāhu khayra l-jazā'
May God give you the best rewardA more emphatic, formal form
الله يجزيك الخيرallāh yijzīk il-khēr
May God reward you with goodDialect wording heard in the Levant, Gulf and Maghreb
Replies

How to respond

وَإِيَّاكَwa iyyāk

And you too (to a man; to a woman: wa iyyāki)

وَإِيَّاكُمْwa iyyākum

And you too (to a group, or politely to one person)

وَجَزَاكَwa jazāk

And may He reward you too

آمين، وإياكمāmīn, wa iyyākum

Amen, and you too

Pronunciation

How to say it right

The sounds English speakers find tricky, and how to get them right.

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  1. Jazāka has a long ā in the middle: ja-ZĀ-ka. In Egypt the j becomes a hard g: ga-ZĀK.

  2. The kh (خ) in khayr is a rough sound at the back of the throat, like the ch in Scottish "loch." It is not a k.

  3. Khayran rhymes with "high-ran" in formal speech; in dialects it becomes khēr, like "care" with kh at the start.

  4. Iyyāk has a doubled y: iy-YĀK. Lean on it slightly before the long ā.

In a sentence

Example sentences

جزاكم الله خيراً على حضوركم.jazākumu llāhu khayran ʿalā ḥuḍūrikum.

May God reward you all for coming.

Standard (MSA)
جزاك الله خير يا أستاذ، تعبتك معايا.gazāk allāh khēr ya ustāz, taʿabtak maʿāya.

May God reward you, sir, I've put you to a lot of trouble.

Egyptian
جزاكِ الله خير، ما بعرف شو كنت بعمل بلاكي.jazāki alla khēr, ma baʿrif shū kint baʿmil balāki.

May God reward you, I don't know what I'd have done without you.

Levantine
جزاك الله خير. - وإياك.jazāk allāh khēr. - w iyyāk.

May God reward you. - And you too.

Gulf
Culture

Using it like a local

In a hadith recorded by At-Tirmidhi, the Prophet said that whoever is done a favor and says jazāka llāhu khayran to the person has given the fullest praise. That is why many Muslims prefer it over a plain shukran: it thanks the person and asks God to repay them with something better than you can.

You'll hear it among Muslims of every background, not only Arabs, after help with homework, a ride, a meal, or a good piece of advice. It fits formal and informal settings alike.

Saying only "JazakAllah" is very common, especially among South Asian Muslims, and people understand it as thanks. Some teachers point out that adding khayran ("with good") completes the meaning, since jazā' on its own means "recompense" of any kind.

FAQ

JazakAllah Khair: common questions

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What does JazakAllah khair mean?

جزاك الله خيرا (jazāka llāhu khayran) means "may God reward you with good." It's a prayer-style thank you, from jazā' (reward or recompense) and khayr (good).

How do you reply to JazakAllah khair?

The common reply is وإياك (wa iyyāk), "and you too," or وإياكم (wa iyyākum) to a group. You can also say وجزاك (wa jazāk) or wa antum fa-jazākumu llāhu khayran, "and you too, may God reward you with good."

How do you say JazakAllah khair to a woman?

Say جزاكِ الله خيرا (jazāki llāhu khayran), with an i at the end of jazāki. The reply to a woman is وإياكِ (wa iyyāki).

Is it JazakAllah khair or JazakAllahu khairan?

Both are fine. JazakAllahu khairan is the full classical pronunciation; JazakAllah khair is how most people say it in everyday speech. The meaning is identical.

Keep learning

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All words
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