Traveling in Arabic: Airport, Hotel, Taxi

Whether you’re landing in Cairo, checking into a hotel in Dubai, or hailing a taxi in Amman, travel vocabulary is your passport to smooth adventures. This lesson covers everything from airport check-in to asking for directions in the city.

Airport Vocabulary

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
مطار	maṭār	airport
صالة الوصول	ṣālat al-wuṣūl	arrivals hall
صالة المغادرة	ṣālat al-mughādara	departures hall
حقيبة يد	ḥaqība yad	hand luggage
حقيبة سفر	ḥaqība safar	suitcase
بوابة	bawwāba	gate
رحلة	riḥla	flight
تأخير	ta’khīr	delay
إلغاء	ilghā’	cancellation
تأشيرة دخول	ta’shīrat dukhūl	visa
جواز سفر	jawāz safar	passport
استقبال	istiqbāl	reception
تسجيل الوصول	tasjīl al-wuṣūl	check-in
الوصول	al-wuṣūl	arrival
المغادرة	al-mughādara	departure

Hotel Vocabulary

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
فندق	funduq	hotel
حجز	ḥajz	reservation
استقبال	istiqbāl	reception
غرفة	ghurfa	room
مفتاح	miftāḥ	key
طابق	ṭābiq	floor
مصعد	miṣ3ad	elevator
مسبح	masbaḥ	swimming pool
فطور	fuṭūr	breakfast
إطلالة	iṭṭilā’a	view
واجهة	wājiha	facade
خدمة الغرفة	khidmat al-ghurfa	room service
فاتورة	fātūra	bill
تسجيل الدخول	tasjīl ad-dukhūl	check-in
تسجيل الخروج	tasjīl al-khurūj	check-out

Transportation

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
سيارة أجرة	sayyārat ujra	taxi
حافلة	ḥāfila	bus
قطار	qiṭār	train
مترو	metro	subway
سيارة	sayyāra	car
طائرة	ṭā’ira	airplane
سفينة	safīna	ship
دراجة	darāja	bicycle
إيجار	ijār	rental
محطة	maḥaṭṭa	station
مواقف	mawāqif	parking

Asking for Directions

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
أين؟	ayna?	where?
كيف أصل إلى…؟	kayfa asil ilā…?	how do I get to…?
يمين	yamīn	right
يسار	yasār	left
مباشرة	mubāshara	straight ahead
قريب	qarīb	near / close
بعيد	ba3eed	far
خريطة	khareeṭa	map
شارع	shāri3	street
تقاطع	taqāṭu3	intersection
مبنى	mabnā	building
مسجد	masjid	mosque
سوق	sūq	market
حديقة	ḥadīqa	park
مستشفى	mustashfa	hospital

Useful Travel Phrases

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
أين المطار؟	ayna al-maṭār?	where is the airport?
تذكرة	tadhkira	ticket
أين الفندق؟	ayna al-funduq?	where is the hotel?
كم السعر؟	kam as-si’r?	how much does it cost?
إلى أين؟	ilā ayna?	to where?
من فضلك، أرني الخريطة	min faḍlak, arnī al-khareeṭa	please, show me the map
أنا تائه	ana tā’ih	I am lost
هل يمكنني الوصول بالمشي؟	hal yumkinnee al-wuṣūl bil-mashy?	can I get there by walking?
كم يبعد؟	kam yab3ud?	how far is it?
هل هناك مواصلات؟	hal hunāka mawāṣalāt?	is there transportation?
أريد سيارة أجرة	urīdu sayyārat ujra	I want a taxi
إلى المركز التجاري	ilā al-markaz at-tijārī	to the shopping mall
إلى الشاطئ	ilā al-shāṭi’	to the beach
إلى المتحف	ilā al-matḥaf	to the museum

At the Airport: Dialogue

Airport check-in

A
marhaban, urīdu tasjīl al-wuṣūlHello, I want to check in
B
jawāz safar min faḍlakPassport please
A
tafaddal, ḥaqība yad am ḥaqība safar?Here, hand luggage or suitcase?
B
ḥaqība yad faqaṭHand luggage only
A
riḥla ilā al-qāhira, bawwāba khamsaFlight to Cairo, gate five
B
shukran, riḥla sa3īdaThank you, have a good trip

At the Hotel: Dialogue

Hotel check-in

A
ahlan wa sahlan, urīdu ghurfaWelcome, I want a room
B
hal ladayka ḥajz?Do you have a reservation?
A
na3am, bi-ism AḥmadYes, under the name Ahmed
B
tafaddal, miftāḥ al-ghurfa khamsata 3asharHere you go, room key fifteen
A
al-fuṭūr matā?When is breakfast?
B
min sab3 ilā 3ashrFrom seven to ten
A
shukran jazeelanThank you very much

Asking for Directions: Dialogue

Finding the museum

A
3afwan, ayna al-matḥaf?Excuse me, where is the museum?
B
idhhab mubāshara thumma yamīnGo straight then right
A
kam yab3ud?How far is it?
B
khamsu daqā'iq mashyanFive minutes walking
A
hal yumkin al-wuṣūl bil-ḥāfila?Can I get there by bus?
B
na3am, ḥāfila raqm thalāthaYes, bus number three
A
shukran jazeelanThank you very much

Cultural Notes

In many Arab cities, taxis don’t use meters — agree on the price before getting in
It’s polite to greet the taxi driver when entering
Hotels often have bilingual staff (Arabic/English)
When asking directions, ask multiple people — locals are very helpful
Keep your passport with you at all times
Tipping (بقشيش) is customary in hotels and restaurants

Practice

How do you say 'where is the hotel?' in Arabic?

hint: Use 'أين' for 'where'

What is 'سيارة أجرة' in English?

hint: It literally means 'rent car'

How do you ask 'how much does it cost?' in Arabic?

hint: Think of 'how much the price?'

What does 'يمين' mean?

hint: The opposite of 'يسار'

Ready for shopping? Continue to Shopping for Clothes.

Traveling & Directions