Translate Arabic to Somali
Translate Arabic to Somali in the box below: paste Arabic, tell the tool which dialect it is in, and get Somali in its Latin spelling. Under the result your Arabic is repeated with full harakat and a transliteration, so a message without vowels becomes readable. Free, no account, nothing stored.
Translations are generated by an AI model and can be wrong; the Standard Arabic line is there so you can compare. Up to 1000 characters at a time.
What you get on this page
- Arabic to Somali from Standard Arabic, Gulf, Saudi, Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi or Moroccan text.
- Your Arabic shown again with vowel marks and in Latin letters, with 3 for ayn and 7 for the hard h, close to Somali c and x.
- A Listen button that reads the Arabic with your device's voice.
- Up to 1,000 characters per request; the swap arrow gives you Somali to Arabic.
Why it is tricky to translate Arabic to Somali
Somali readers meet Arabic in two very different forms: the Quran and school books in Standard Arabic, and chat messages from relatives in Nairobi, Dubai or Minneapolis written in whatever dialect the family picked up. The first comes with vowels and clear grammar; the second has neither, and that is where a translator earns its keep.
- Unvoweled text has many readings. علم can be 3ilm (knowledge), 3alam (flag) or 3allama (he taught). The model picks by context and prints its choice on the harakat line, so you can disagree.
- Dialect words are not in the dictionary. Gulf شْلُونَك (shloonak, how are you) and Egyptian عَايِز (3aayiz, I want) are opaque unless you tell the tool the dialect.
- Somali builds sentences differently. The Arabic verb at the front goes to the end, and Somali adds waa or baa to mark the focus; a word-for-word rendering is not Somali.
- Loanwords tempt a lazy translation. سُؤَال could be rendered su'aal and وَقْت as waqti, and often that is right, but مَدْرَسَة (madrasa) is better as dugsi or iskuul depending on the kind of school.
Example sentences
| Arabic (MSA) | Pronunciation | Somali | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| صَبَاحُ الخَيْرِ | sabaa7 al-khayr | Subax wanaagsan | Good morning |
| مَا اسْمُكَ؟ | ma smuka? (m.) | Magacaa? | What is your name? |
| أَنَا أَتَكَلَّمُ العَرَبِيَّةَ | ana atakallamu l-3arabiyya | Waxaan ku hadlaa Carabi | I speak Arabic |
| أَنَا جَائِعٌ | ana jaa'i3 (m.) | Waan gaajaysanahay | I am hungry |
| الطَّعَامُ لَذِيذٌ | at-ta3aamu ladheedh | Cuntadu waa macaan tahay | The food is delicious |
| أَنَا مُتْعَبٌ | ana mut3ab (m.) | Waan daalanahay | I am tired |
| كَمِ السَّاعَةُ؟ | kami s-saa3a? | Waqtigu waa immisa? | What time is it? |
| أَنَا آسِفٌ | ana aasif (m.) | Waan ka xumahay | I am sorry |
| أُحِبُّكَ | u7ibbuka (to a man) / u7ibbuki (to a woman) | Waan ku jeclahay | I love you |
| تُصْبِحُ عَلَى خَيْرٍ | tusbi7u 3alaa khayr | Habeen wanaagsan | Good night |
Tips for better results
Set the dialect by the sender: Gulf or Saudi for family in the Gulf, Egyptian for Cairo, Standard Arabic for religious or school text. Paste whole messages; context fixes the vowels. If the Arabic arrived in Latin letters and digits (ana 3arabi, 7abibi), paste it as it is; the model reads arabizi. The transliteration under the result uses the scheme on the Arabic transliteration page, where 3 and 7 match Somali c and x. To reply in Arabic, switch to Somali to Arabic and keep the same dialect; the Arabic to English page is useful when the English version is easier for someone in the family, and Saudi Arabic lists the Hejazi and Najdi words you will see from Jeddah and Riyadh.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google Translate translate Arabic to Somali?
Yes, for Standard Arabic; it has no dialect setting and does not show your Arabic with vowels or in Latin letters. This page does both; both tools are machine translation.
Is there an Arabic to Somali dictionary here?
Not a list of entries, but you can paste one Arabic word and get its Somali meaning, its voweled spelling and its pronunciation in Latin letters.
Can it read Gulf or Egyptian Arabic?
Yes. Choose the dialect of your text in the menu above the box; Gulf covers the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, Saudi covers Riyadh and Jeddah.
Can I paste Arabic typed in English letters?
Yes. Arabic in Latin letters with digits (arabizi) is understood; the tool translates it and shows it in Arabic script with vowels.
Is the Arabic to Somali translator free?
Yes. There is a daily free limit for the site; no account, nothing stored.