Animals in Arabic

Learn the Arabic names for 20 common animals — from cat and dog to lion and horse.

Animals are a fun and practical vocabulary topic, especially if you have children learning Arabic. Many Arabic animal names also appear in proverbs and idioms — for example, الأسد (the lion) symbolizes courage, while الحمار (the donkey) represents stubbornness.

Pet Animals

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
قطّة	qiṭṭa	cat
كلب	kalb	dog
أرنب	arnab	rabbit
سلحفاة	sulḥafaa	turtle
طائر	ṭaa’ir	bird
سمكة	samaka	fish

Farm Animals

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
حصان	ḥisaan	horse
بقرة	baqara	cow
خروف	kharoof	sheep
ماعز	ma3iz	goat
دجاجة	dajaaja	chicken
حمّار	ḥimaar	donkey

Wild Animals

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
أسد	asad	lion
نمر	namir	tiger
فيل	feel	elephant
غزال	ghazaal	deer / gazelle
قرد	qird	monkey
دب	dubb	bear
زرافة	zaraafa	giraffe

Animal Sounds

Animal	Sound (Arabic)	Transliteration	English
قطّة	مياو	miyāw	meow
كلب	نباح	nabāḥ	bark
فيل	صفير	ṣafeer	trumpet
دجاجة	صياح	ṣiyāḥ	crow
حمّار	عواء	3awā’	bray

Animals in Sentences

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
القطّة صغيرة	al-qiṭṭatu ṣaghīra	the cat is small
الحصان كبير	al-ḥisaanu kabīr	the horse is big
الكلب وفيع	al-kalbu wafī3	the dog is loyal
الأس disappear	al-asadu shadīd	the lion is fierce
فيل واحد	feelun wāḥid	one elephant

Animals in Arabic Culture

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
الأسد	al-asad	the lion — symbol of courage
الحمّار	al-ḥimaar	the donkey — symbol of stubbornness
البومة	al-būma	the owl — symbol of wisdom
الحمامة	al-ḥamāma	the dove — symbol of peace

Proverb: اللي خاف السلم سلّم — “Whoever fears the stairs surrenders” (similar to “if you can’t beat them, join them”)

Practice

How do you say 'cat' in Arabic?

hint: It starts with ق

What is 'أسد' in English?

hint: It is the king of the jungle

How do you say 'the horse is big' in Arabic?

hint: Use 'كبير' for 'big'

Match each pair — start with Arabic (left)

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Arabic

English

← Select an Arabic word, then tap its meaning →