KalamHow to Say Sun in Arabic
Sun in Arabic is شمس (shams). It's the same word in nearly every dialect, from Cairo to Dubai, and it's grammatically feminine, so you say الشمس حارة (ash-shams ḥārra), "the sun is hot." With the article it's pronounced ash-shams, not al-shams. In Morocco you'll often hear it as shemsh.
Literally: “sun”
Sun across the Arab world
Arabic changes from country to country. Here's what you'll actually hear.
The l of al- is silent because ش is a "sun letter."
Same word. A strong, hot sun is شمس حامية (shams ḥamya).
Levantineالشمسish-shamsSame word. "It's sunny" is في شمس (fī shams).
Gulfالشمسish-shamsSame word. The fierce peak of summer is called القيظ (il-gēḍ).
Darijaالشمشsh-shemshMoroccan Darija, where the second s often turns into sh. You'll also hear sh-shems.
Other ways to say sun
How to say it right
The sounds English speakers find tricky, and how to get them right.
Practise with feedbackThe a in shams is short, closer to the u in "sums" than the a in "shame." Say it quickly: shams.
With the article, the l disappears and the sh doubles: ash-shams, held slightly on the sh. Saying "al-shams" is the most common beginner mistake.
In Morocco, listen for shemsh: the final s takes on the sh sound of the first letter.
Feminine agreement matters: الشمس حارة (ash-shams ḥārra), not ḥārr.
Example sentences
It's sunny today, let's go down to the beach.
LevantineThe sun is really strong today.
EgyptianThe sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Standard (MSA)The sun is very hot today.
DarijaUsing it like a local
Arabic grammar is named after the sun. The 14 "sun letters" (الحروف الشمسية) swallow the l of al-: ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن. So the sun is ash-shams and the man is ar-rajul. The other half of the alphabet are "moon letters," after al-qamar, which keep the l.
In much of the Arab world the sun is something to shelter from, not chase. Midday is for shade, and evenings outdoors are when social life happens. That's partly why poets compare a beloved to the moon rather than the sun. Surah 91 of the Quran is named Ash-Shams and opens وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا, "By the sun and its brightness" (91:1).
The sun sets the rhythm of daily prayer: Fajr comes before sunrise and Maghrib at sunset. The same root gives Morocco its Arabic name, المغرب (al-Maghrib), "where the sun sets," while the eastern Arab world is the Mashriq, "where it rises."
Is the sun masculine or feminine in Arabic?
Feminine. شمس (shams) takes feminine adjectives and verbs: الشمس طالعة (ish-shams ṭālʿa), "the sun is out." The moon, قمر (qamar), is masculine, the reverse of some European languages.
Why is it ash-shams and not al-shams?
ش is one of the 14 sun letters. When al- comes before a sun letter, the l is not pronounced and the letter doubles instead. It's still written ال, but you say ash-shams.
What does Shams mean as a name?
Shams means "sun" and is used as a given name, mostly for girls in the Arab world. It's also famous from Shams of Tabriz, the Persian mystic who inspired Rumi.
How do you say sunrise and sunset in Arabic?
Sunrise is شروق الشمس (shurūq ash-shams) and sunset is غروب الشمس (ghurūb ash-shams). In conversation people usually shorten them to الشروق (ish-shurū') and الغروب (il-ghurūb).
Don't just look it up. Say it.
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