Electronics

1. هاتف محمول

   Hātif maḥmūl

   Mobile phone (MSA)

   Usage

   Literally "carried phone" — the formal term on forms, adverts and in the news. In speech the regional words "mobāyl" and "jawwāl" take over

2. موبايل

   Mobāyl

   Mobile (colloquial)

   Usage

   The everyday word in Egypt and the Levant. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf prefer "jawwāl" (جوال), while in Morocco and the Maghreb you will also hear the French-derived "portable"

3. تابلت

   Tāblet

   Tablet

   Usage

   The thing security asks you to take out of your bag. The formal Arabic is "lawḥ iliktrūnī", but in shops the loanword is what works

4. لابتوب

   Lābtōb

   Laptop

   Usage

   The formal term is "ḥāsūb maḥmūl" (حاسوب محمول). If you plan to work in a café, pair it with "hal yūjad miqbas kahrabāʾī?" — is there a socket?

5. شاحن

   Shāḥin

   Charger

   Usage

   For losing one, buying one or borrowing one. "Hal yumkinunī istiʿārat shāḥin?" asks to borrow a charger

6. كابل شحن

   Kābil shaḥn

   Charging cable

   Usage

   Say the connector type — USB-C or Lightning — as well. Phone shops and electronics streets stock them

7. باور بانك

   Bāwar bānk

   Power bank

   Usage

   The English works as is; the formal Arabic is "baṭṭāriyya mutanaqqila" (بطارية متنقلة). Lithium cells go in hand luggage, never the hold

8. محول كهربائي

   Muḥawwil kahrabāʾī

   Plug adapter

   Usage

   Egypt and Jordan use the round two-pin European type C (type F also appears) at roughly 220-230V, while most Gulf states (UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and others) use the British three-pin type G; Saudi Arabia mixes A, B and G. Check by destination

9. مقبس كهربائي

   Miqbas kahrabāʾī

   Power socket

   Usage

   Show it when hunting for a socket. In Egyptian and Levantine speech the Italian-derived "prīza" (بريزة) gets through faster

10. بطارية

    Baṭṭāriyya

    Battery

    Usage

    Covers both dry cells and a phone's internal battery. In Egypt you may hear the colloquial "ḥagar" (حجر), stone. Say the size as AA or AAA in English and you will be understood

11. واي فاي

    Wāy fāy

    Wi-Fi

    Usage

    The Arabic spelling turns up on signs constantly. "Hal yūjad wāy fāy?" asks whether there is Wi-Fi

12. كلمة سر الواي فاي

    Kalimat sirr al-wāy fāy

    Wi-Fi password

    Usage

    Literally "the secret word of the Wi-Fi". Show it and staff will write it on your receipt: "mā kalimat sirr al-wāy fāy?"

13. شريحة اتصال

    Sharīḥat ittiṣāl

    SIM card

    Usage

    Literally "communication chip"; in speech just "sharīḥa" or the English "sīm kārt". Nearly every country here requires your passport, and the airport counter is the quickest place to buy

14. بطاقة ذاكرة

    Biṭāqat dhākira

    Memory card

    Usage

    Literally "card of memory". Show it at an electronics shop when the camera fills up

15. سماعات

    Sammāʿāt

    Headphones / earphones

    Usage

    From the root for hearing, and normally used in the plural. Wireless ones are "sammāʿāt blūtūth"

16. مكبر صوت

    Mukabbir ṣawt

    Speaker

    Usage

    Literally "enlarger of sound". Point at it to ask for the volume down: "min faḍlak, ikhfiḍ aṣ-ṣawt"

17. كاميرا

    Kāmīrā

    Camera

    Usage

    "Hal yumkinunī iltiqāṭ ṣūra?" asks if you may take a photo. Sites and museums often sell a separate camera ticket, and photographing government or military buildings and airports is forbidden — always check

18. مصباح يدوي

    Miṣbāḥ yadawī

    Flashlight

    Usage

    Literally "hand lamp" — needed inside the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, at desert camps and during power cuts. Egyptians say "kashshāf" (كشاف)

19. مكيف الهواء

    Mukayyif al-hawāʾ

    Air conditioner

    Usage

    Literally "conditioner of the air", and a matter of survival in the Gulf or an Egyptian summer. "Al-mukayyif lā yaʿmal" means the AC is not working; "ghurfa mukayyafa" specifies an air-conditioned room

20. جهاز التحكم عن بعد

    Jihāz at-taḥakkum ʿan buʿd

    Remote control

    Usage

    Literally "device of control from a distance" — too long for speech, where the English-derived "rīmōt" (ريموت) does the job. Use it at reception when the AC remote has vanished

21. مروحة

    Mirwaḥa

    Electric fan

    Usage

    For asking at a guesthouse without AC: "hal yūjad mirwaḥa?" The same word covers a ceiling fan

22. ثلاجة

    Thallāja

    Refrigerator

    Usage

    From "thalj" (ثلج), ice. A guest-room fridge is "thallāja ṣaghīra" or just "mini bar"

23. تلفزيون

    Tilifizyōn

    Television

    Usage

    A coined Arabic term "mirnāt" exists, but in practice only the loanword is used

24. ميكروويف

    Maykrōwayf

    Microwave oven

    Usage

    The English word works. "Hal yumkinuka taskhīnuh?" asks a shop to heat it up

25. غلاية كهربائية

    Ghallāya kahrabāʾiyya

    Electric kettle

    Usage

    Literally "electric boiler". If the room lacks one, ask at reception — in a part of the world that drinks this much tea, hot water is rarely refused

26. غسالة

    Ghassāla

    Washing machine

    Usage

    Self-service laundrettes are scarce; the usual route is the neighbourhood "maghsala" (مغسلة), a laundry shop, which often charges by the kilo

27. مجفف شعر

    Mujaffif shaʿr

    Hair dryer

    Usage

    Literally "hair drier". In Egyptian and Levantine speech the French-derived "sishwār" (سيشوار) gets through faster

28. مولد كهرباء

    Muwallid kahrabāʾ

    Generator

    Usage

    Literally "generator of electricity". In Lebanon and Iraq, power cuts are routine and building-level generators fill the gap. Asking a guesthouse "hal yūjad muwallid?" tells you whether the lights stay on when the grid goes down

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