| Peninsular Arabic | |
| Also Known As: | Arabian Arabic |
| Region: | Arabian Peninsula |
| Speakers: | million |
| Date: | 2018–2023 |
| Ref: | e27 |
| Familycolor: | Afro-Asiatic |
| Fam2: | Semitic |
| Fam3: | West Semitic |
| Fam4: | Central Semitic |
| Fam5: | Arabic |
| Script: | Arabic script |
| Dia1: | Gulf |
| Dia2: | Bahrani |
| Dia3: | Omani |
| Dia4: | Hejazi |
| Dia5: | Shihhi |
| Dia6: | Dhofari |
| Dia7: | Yemeni |
| Dia8: | Bedawi |
| Dia9: | Najdi |
| Dia10: | Bareqi |
| Lc1: | abv |
| Ld1: | Bahrani Arabic |
| Lc2: | adf |
| Ld2: | Dhofari Arabic |
| Lc3: | avl |
| Ld3: | Eastern Egyptian Bedawi Arabic |
| Lc4: | afb |
| Ld4: | Gulf Arabic |
| Lc5: | ayh |
| Ld5: | Hadhrami Arabic |
| Lc6: | acw |
| Ld6: | Hejazi Arabic |
| Lc7: | ars |
| Ld7: | Najdi Arabic |
| Lc8: | acx |
| Ld8: | Omani Arabic |
| Lc9: | ayn |
| Ld9: | Sanʽani Arabic |
| Lc10: | ssh |
| Ld10: | Shihhi Arabic |
| Lc11: | acq |
| Ld11: | Taʽizzi-Adeni Arabic |
| Glotto: | arab1393 |
| Glottorefname: | Arabian Peninsula Arabic |
Peninsular Arabic are the varieties of Arabic spoken throughout the Arabian Peninsula. This includes the countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Southern Iran, Southern Iraq and Jordan.[1]
The modern dialects spoken in the Arabian Peninsula are closer to Classical Arabic than elsewhere in the Arab world.[2] [3] Some of the local dialects have retained many archaic features lost in other dialects, such as the conservation of nunation for indeterminate nouns. They retain most Classical syntax and vocabulary but still have some differences from Classical Arabic like the other dialects.
Ingham[4] and Holes[5] both note the existence of two peninsular dialect groups:
The following varieties are usually noted:
The following table compares the Arabic terms between Saudi dialects of urban Hejazi and urban Najdi in addition to the dialect of the Harb tribe with its tribal area (Najdi and Hejazi parts) which shows a correlation and differences between those dialects:
| "water" | ماء māʼ | موية mōya | ما mā or موية mōya | موية mōya | ||
| "what?" | ماذا māḏā | إيش ʾēš | ويش wēš or وش weš | وش wiš | ||
| "I want" | أريد ʼurīd | أبغى ʼabḡa or rarely أبى ʼaba | أبى ʼaba | أبي ʼabi | ||
| "bread" | خُبْز ḵubz | خُبْز ḵubuz or عيش ʿēš | عيش ʿayš | خِبْز ḵibz | ||
| "run" | يَرْكُض yarkuḍu or يَجْرِي yajrī | يِجْري yijri | يَجْرِي yajri | يَرْكُض yarkiẓ (يَرْكِظ) | ||
| "now" | الآن alʼān | دحين daḥīn or daḥēn | ذحين daḥīn | هالحين hal-ḥīn | الحين il-ḥīn | |
| "also" | أيْضًا ʾayḍan or كَذَٰلِكَ ka-ḏālika | كمان kamān or برضه barḍu | كمان kamān or برضه barẓu (برظه) | كَذَٰلِكَ ka-ḏālik | بَعَد baʿad | |
| "coffee" | قَهْوَة qahwa | قَهْوَة gahwa | قْهَوَة ghawa | قْهَوَة ghawa or قَهْوَة gahwa | ||
| "they said" | قالوا qālū | قالوا gālu | قالوا gālaw | قالوا gālaw or قالوا gālu | ||
| "cows" | بَقَر baqar | بَقَر bagar | بُقَر bugar | بِقَر bigar | ||
| "neck" | رَقَبة raqaba | رَقَبة ragaba | رْقُبة rguba | رْقَبة rgaba | ||
| "little" | قَليل qalīl | قَليل galīl | قِليل gilīl | |||
| "strong" | قَوِيّ qawiyy | قَوي gawi | قُوي guwi | |||
| "talked to you" | كَلَّمَكَ kallamaka | كَلَّمَك kallamak | كَلَّمْك kallamk | |||
| "take!" | خُذْ ḵuḏ | خُذْ ḵud (خُد) | خُذْ ḵuḏ | خِذْ ḵiḏ | ||
| "all" | كُلّ kull | كُلّ kull | كِل kill | |||
| "got bigger" | كَبُرَ kabura | كِبِر kibir | كِبَر kibar | |||
| "he drank" | شَرِب šarib | شِرِب širib | شِرَب širab | |||
| "I said" | قُلْت qult | قُلْت gult | قِلْت gilt | |||
| "tomb" | قَبْر qabr | قَبُر gabur | قبر gabir | |||
| "palace" | قَصر qaṣr | قَصُر gaṣur | قَصِر gaṣir | |||
| "poverty" | فَقْر faqr | فَقِر fagir or فَقُر fagur | فَقِر fagir | |||
| "it dried" | يَبِس yabis | يِبِس yibis | يِبَس yibas | |||
| "say!" | قُل qul | قول gūl | قِل gil or rarely قول gūl | |||
| "go!" | اِذْهَب iḏhab | روح rūḥ | رح riḥ or rarely روح rūḥ | |||
| “he found” | لقي laqiya | لقي ligi | لقى liga | |||
| “she forgot” | نَسِيَت nasiyat | نِسْيَت nisyat | نست nisat | |||
| "where?" | أين ʼayn | فين fēn | وين wēn | |||
| "early morning" | ضُحَى ḍuḥā | ضَحى ḍaḥa | ضَحى ẓaḥa (ظَحى) | |||
| "we were" | كُنَّا kunnā | كُنَّا kunna | كِنَّا kinna | |||
| "he inhabited" | سَكَن sakan | سَكَن sakan | سِكَن sikan | |||
| "he told the truth" | صَدَق ṣadaq | صَدَق ṣadag | صِدَق ṣidag | |||
| "he knows" | يَعْرِف yaʿrif | يِعْرِف yiʿrif | يْعَرِف yʿarif | |||
| "he wrote" | كَتَبَ katab | كَتَب katab | كِتَب kitab | |||
| "he enters" | يَدْخُل yadḵul | يِدْخُل yidḵul | يَدْخُل yadḵul | يَدْخِل yadḵil | ||
| "he writes" | يَكْتُبُ yaktub | يِكْتُب yiktub | يَكْتِب yaktub | يَكْتِب yaktib or يْكَتِب ykatib | ||
| "she sits" | تَقْعُد taqʿud | تِقْعُد tigʿud | تَقْعُد tagʿud | تَقْعِد tagʿid | ||
| "he woke up" | صَحِيَ ṣaḥiya or صحا ṣaḥā | صِحِي ṣiḥi | صَحَا ṣaḥa | |||
| "dig" | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir | اَحْفُر aḥfur | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir | |||
| "leave!" | خَلِّ ḵalli | خَلِّي ḵalli | خل ḵall | |||
| "big" | كَبير kabīr | كَبير kabīr | كِبير kibīr | |||
| "truth" | حَقيقة ḥaqīqa | حَقيقة ḥagīga | حِقيقة ḥigīga | |||
| "we" | نَحْن naḥnu | احنا iḥna or نحنا niḥna | حنا ḥinna | |||
| "them" | هُم hum | َّهُم humma | هُم hum | |||
| "this" | هذا hāḏā | هذا hāda (هدا) | هذا hāḏa | |||
| "we count" | نَحْسِبُ naḥsibu | نِحْسِب niḥsib | نْحَسِب nḥasib | نْحَسِب nḥasib or نِحْسِب niḥsib | ||
| "piece of wood" | خَشَبَة ḵašaba | خَشَبَة ḵašaba | خْشِبَة ḵšiba | خْشِبَة ḵšiba or خَشَبَة ḵašaba | ||
| "camel" | جَمَل jamal | جَمَل jamal | جِمَل jimal | جِمَل jimal or جَمَل jamal | ||
| "like" | مِثْل miṯl or كما kama | زَي zay | مِثْل miṯl or كما kima or زَي zay | مِثْل miṯl or زَي zay | ||
| "he" | هُوَ huwa | هُوَّ huwwa | هو hū or huw or huwah or اهو ihwa | هو hū or huw | ||