Diagnosis: Spelling
Arabic text in question
ููุทููุงู ุงูููู ุงูุจูุงุจู
ุฅุณุญุจ
Arabic text as it should be
ููุทูููุง ุงููููููู ุงููุจูุงุจู
ุงูุณูุญูุจู
Note: You don’t use diacritics (ุชุดููู) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters.
Analysis
1. Let’s start with ููุทููุงู.
It is a polite invitation to do something (ุฏูุนูููุฉู ู ูููุฐููุจูุฉู ููุนูู ููู ุดูููุกู).
The noun ููุทูู and means kindness; mercy; gentleness. It is the verbal noun of the I-verb ููุทููู – ููููุทููู which means to be kind. Why do we have the accusative case (ู ูููุตููุจู) here? Well, please (ูุทููุง) is similar to the expressions thanks (ุดููููุฑูุง) and excuse me/you’re welcome (ุนูููุง). They all get the accusative case (ู ูุตูุจ) because they are what we call in Arabic absolute objects (ู ูููุนูููู ู ูุทููููู).
The main purpose of the absolute object (ู ูุนูู ู ุทูู) is to emphasize the meaning and occurrence of the main verb (ุชูุฃูููุฏ). It is usually an infinitive noun (ู ูุตูุฏูุฑู), which is related to the verb it comes from (same root letters), and it is always indefinite (ููููุฑุฉู). Usually, such constructions need a verb, but we can do without if the verb is implicitly understood: ู ูุตูุฏูุฑู ู ูููุตููุจู (ู ูููุนูููู ู ูุทููููู) ุจูููุนููู ู ูุญูุฐูููู . You could alternatively also use a preposition, to express a similar meaning: ุจูููุทููู means kindly.
Now let’s go back to the word written on the entrance of the airplane bathroom. There is an issue with the single ููุชูุญุฉู written on the letter ูู. Since we have an indefinite noun in the accusative case, we need to apply the so-called ุชูููููููู ููุชูุญู which is written as two small ููุชูุญุฉู symbols stacked vertically above the actual final letter of the word, followed by an ุง (Aleph).
โค Correct: ููุทูููุง
It is odd that diacritics are used at all on aircraft signs. But more than that, some of these extra marks really don’t make sense in our example. In the imperative ุงูููู, a ุณูููููู was placed on the last letter, which would only fit there if you paused briefly. Otherwise, we would have a clash of two consonants, which is not possible in Arabic and is solved by using helping vowels (usually “i”). Note that in our analysis I have also included the ุณูููููู for the sake of a word-by-word analysis. In reality, you would use the vowel “i”.
2. ุงููุจูุงุจู
It means the door and functions as the direct object (ุงููู ูููุนูููู ุจููู) of the imperative ุงููููููู. In Arabic, the direct object is in the accusative case (ู ูููุตููุจู). For a singular definite noun like ุงููุจูุงุจ, the accusative case is marked by a single ููุชูุญุฉู on the last letter.
So why do we see a ุณูููููู here? Well, maybe they were thinking about the actual pronunciation and not the grammatical position. When we stop at ุงููุจูุงุจ, we usually do not pronounce the final vowel. Instead, the final consonant is pronounced with a ุณูููููู (the absence of a vowel); you should stop or pause briefly on it.
โค Correct: ููุทูููุง ุงููููููู ุงููุจูุงุจู
3. ุฅุณุญุจ – pull!
There is a spelling mistake.
Let’s take a look at the I-verb ุณูุญูุจู – ููุณูุญูุจู, which means to withdraw, to take back.
The imperative of an I-verb (ููุนูู) for a male singular is usually derived by taking the present tense form (ุงููู ูุถุงุฑูุนู) and removing the present tense prefix. This would give us ุณูุญูุจู. Such a word is not possible in Arabic! You cannot have a ุณูููููู on the very first word.
That is why the ููู ูุฒุฉู ุงููููุตููู (connecting Hamza) comes into play. By putting a ููู ูุฒุฉู ุงููููุตููู in front of ุณูุญูุจู, we make the word compatible with the basic (pronunciation) rules of Arabic. However, this is only how we write it. In the situation where we start the sentence with ุงูุณูุญูุจู (or after a pause), we have to pronounce a glottal stop (Hamza), but again, we will never write it!
โค Correct: ุงูุณูุญูุจู
- Source: Real Place (air plane)
- Time the picture was taken: December 2024
- Location: United Arab Emirates
Credit
Picture credit: Paul Ammann
Added: 03/25/2025
