Iraqi Arabic translator
Iraqi Arabic translator: the box below turns English into the Arabic spoken in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul instead of the fusha of the news. Each result shows harakat, the Standard Arabic line, a transliteration with the Iraqi sounds and a Listen button. 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
- Iraqi is pre-selected in the dialect menu; the Baghdad variety is the reference, as it is on Iraqi TV.
- Each translation carries vowel marks, the MSA version beneath it, a Latin line that keeps the Iraqi g and ch sounds, and Copy and Listen buttons.
- Free, 1,000 characters per request, one daily limit for the whole site, no sign-up.
How Iraqi Arabic differs from Standard Arabic
Iraqi keeps sounds that Egypt and the Levant have dropped: th and dh are said as in fusha, and qaf often stays q, though in many words it becomes g (gaal, he said). What sets it apart is the ch sound: kaf softens before front vowels, so the feminine you is -ich (shloonich, how are you, to a woman). Question words are their own set: shnuu what, shloon how, ween where, shwakit when, leesh why. Akuu and maakuu say there is and there isn't, and the prefix da- marks an action in progress (da-aktib, I am writing).
Centuries of trade with Persia and Turkey left loanwords you will not find in Cairo: khoosh for good or nice is the one everyone learns first. The table lines up the basics against the written form.
| English | MSA (harakat) | MSA, how it reads | Dialect (harakat) | Dialect, how it reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What? | مَاذَا | maadhaa | شْنُو | shnuu |
| Good, fine | جَيِّد | jayyid | زَين | zeen |
| There is | يُوجَد | yuujad | أَكُو | akuu |
| There isn't | لَا يُوجَد | laa yuujad | مَاكُو | maakuu |
| Now | الآنَ | al-aana | هَسَّه | hassa |
Common Iraqi phrases
Fourteen everyday lines as they are said in Baghdad. Note the feminine endings in -ich and -een, which are the quickest way to tell Iraqi from its neighbors.
| English | Arabic (harakat) | How it reads |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | هَلَا | hala |
| Good morning | صَبَاح الخِير | sabaa7 il-kheer |
| How are you? | شْلُونَك؟ (m.) / شْلُونِج؟ (f.) | shloonak? / shloonich? |
| I'm fine, thank God | زَين الحَمْدُ لِلّٰه (m.) / زَينَة الحَمْدُ لِلّٰه (f.) | zeen / zeena, il-7amdu lillaah |
| Thank you | شُكْرًا | shukran |
| Thanks (warm, for a favor) | عَاشَت إِيدَك (m.) / عَاشَت إِيدِج (f.) | 3aashat eedak / eedich (long live your hands) |
| Please (asking a favor) | اللّٰه يْخَلِّيك (m.) / اللّٰه يْخَلِّيج (f.) | allaah ykhalleek / ykhalleech |
| Sorry / excuse me | عَفْوًا | 3afwan |
| Where is the bathroom? | وِين الحَمَّام؟ | ween il-7ammaam? |
| How much is this? | بِيش هَاذَا؟ | beesh haadha? |
| I don't understand | مَا أَفْتَهِم | maa aftihim |
| Yes / No | إِي / لَا | ee / laa |
| One, two, three | وَاحِد، ثْنِين، ثْلَاثَة | waa7id, thneen, thlaatha |
| Goodbye | فِي أَمَان اللّٰه | fee amaan illaah |
Does Google Translate support Iraqi Arabic?
No. Google Translate gives Modern Standard Arabic and has no Iraqi option; most general translators output Standard Arabic only. Ask it for what's new and you get maa l-jadeed, while any Iraqi would say shaku maaku. The result has no vowel marks, so you cannot see where the stress or the short vowels fall. On this page the Iraqi line and the MSA line appear together, both voweled, and the transliteration writes g and ch where Baghdad says them.
Iraqi Arabic translator: accuracy and limits
The translation comes from an AI language model. Expect good results for everyday messages and weaker ones for slang, poetry, legal or medical text; Iraqi also varies between Baghdad, the south and Mosul, and the model follows Baghdad. Read the MSA line under it and ask an Iraqi friend when the two disagree. Do not rely on it for contracts, medical instructions or official papers.
Limits: 1,000 characters per translation, roughly 150 words, and a daily free limit shared by everyone on the site. Text only: no documents, photos, OCR or microphone, no app, nothing to buy, nothing stored. Direction pages: English to Iraqi Arabic and Iraqi Arabic to English. Neighbors: Saudi and Levantine. The transliteration page explains the Latin line.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Google Translate for Iraqi Arabic?
No. Google Translate has one Arabic setting, Modern Standard Arabic, without vowel marks. This page translates into Iraqi and shows the MSA line beside it.
Which Iraqi Arabic does the translator use?
The Baghdad variety, which Iraqis from other cities understand and which Iraqi media use. Southern and Mosul speech differ in a few sounds and words.
Why does the transliteration show ch and g?
Because Iraqis say them: kaf becomes ch before front vowels (shloonich, to a woman) and qaf becomes g in many words (gaal, he said). The Latin line writes what you hear, not the textbook letter.
Is the Iraqi Arabic translator free?
Yes. There is a daily free limit for the whole site and no account, credits or paid plan.
Can it translate an Iraqi voice message?
No. There is no microphone or audio upload. Type what you heard, or paste the text if it was written, and it will translate and vowel it.