Browse Tag

consonant

24 posts

Arabic has 28 consonant sounds (الحروف الساكنة في العربية), each represented by a unique letter in the Arabic alphabet. These sounds include a range of emphatic, pharyngeal, and uvular consonants.

Laundry and drycleaning bag from Golden Tulip with text in English and Arabic, including instructions to use a laundry list and spaces to fill in name and room number.
Read More

Point Taken

A spelling error related to dry cleaning was found in an Arabic text in a hotel in Oman: الباشف instead of the correct spelling الناشف.
A multilingual sign with the word 'please' in various languages, featuring three red prohibition symbols for no food or drink, no mobile phones, and no flash photography.
Read More

Overdose of ي

Even in a sacred space, we all know that mistakes are possible. In a church in Berlin, it happened to the Arabic language.
WhatsApp chat in Arabic where one person asks if the other is available and says they will talk later, while the other confirms they are abroad and says they are enjoying themselves, ending with a heart emoji.
Read More

Listen or Enjoy? That is the ت

Ever sent a text message that went a bit sideways? In Arabic, sometimes a single, tiny letter can be the difference between telling someone to 'Listen up!' and wishing them 'Enjoy!'.
A red background with Arabic text stating 'Service Unavailable' and additional text indicating that there is no coverage or high altitude reached, accompanied by illustrations of clouds and an airplane.
Read More

Gender matters

When the internet went down on an airplane, a message appeared that raised grammatical questions.
A warning sign in Arabic, triangular in shape, featuring a silhouette of a camel, indicating caution ahead possibly due to camel crossings. The background is a desert landscape with sparse vegetation and buildings in the distance.
Read More

Mind the Hamza

A sign in the Saudi desert warns drivers about camels, but doesn't stop at mistakes itself.
A billboard advertising the first halal restaurant in Zakopane, featuring a vibrant dish of grilled chicken served on a bed of yellow rice, garnished with fresh herbs. The sign includes a QR code and details about the location.
Read More

Scan & Correct

A sign for a halal restaurant in Poland. Some of the Arabic text is a bit harder to digest.
A promotional flyer with a gradient background transitioning from dark to light gold, featuring Arabic text that reads "اكتشف الحقيقة" (Discover the Truth) in bold yellow font, along with additional Arabic text above it, and the logo of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the bottom right corner.
Read More

License to Spell

In intelligence, precision is paramount - even in spelling. A misplaced همزة can distort meaning and expose linguistic incompetence, as the CIA learned in an Arabic recruitment flyer.
Sign instructing to lock the door, featuring Arabic text "لطفاً اقفل الباب" (Please lock door) above, and Arabic text "اسحب" (Pull) below, with a graphic of a door lock mechanism.
Read More

Flying Fathas

You might assume that the Arabic on the signs on an Emirates plane is correct. At least the diacritics (تشكيل) aren't.