A flower is زَهْرَة (zahra), and flowers are زُهُور (zuhur) or أَزْهَار (azhar). A rose is specifically وَرْدَة (warda). Other familiar names include يَاسَمِين (jasmine), زَنْبَق (lily), and تُولِيب (tulip). The reference chart lists 15 common names; local shop labels can vary.
01A flower is not always a rose
zahra
One flower.
warda
One rose.
Use zahra when the kind is unknown or unimportant. Use warda when you mean a rose. Both are feminine nouns, but they are not interchangeable in a precise vocabulary list.
02Learn three different names
yasamin
A familiar fragrant flowering plant.
zanbaq
A flower name distinct from jasmine.
tulib
A widely used borrowed name.
Say a name, then its meaning, then identify it again without the English label. Keep the reading beside the Arabic so similar unfamiliar names do not turn into a memorised English sequence.
03Describe one flower
Modern Standard Arabic
هَذِهِ الْوَرْدَةُ حَمْرَاءُ
hadhihi alwardatu hamra
This rose is red.
The feminine colour hamra agrees with warda. A masculine colour form cannot simply be copied after every flower word. Use Arabic colours and noun gender when adding a description.
04Recognise flowers and roses in the plural
zuhur / azhar
Two common plural forms of zahra.
wurud
A common plural of warda.
Modern Standard Arabic
الزُّهُورُ جَمِيلَةٌ
azzuhuru jamila
The flowers are beautiful.
This nonhuman plural takes a feminine singular description in ordinary MSA. Jamila describes the whole group.
05Understand a two-word name
A compound name
دَوَّارُ الشَّمْسِ
dawwaru ashshams
Sunflower.
The name connects dawwar, turning, with the sun. In a plain reading aid it is written dawwar ashshams. Treat the two words as one vocabulary item. It is not a sentence saying that a particular flower is turning at that moment.
06Use context with names that overlap
قَرَنْفُل (qaranful) can label a carnation in flower vocabulary and cloves in spice vocabulary. Those refer to different plants or plant products. A flower shop and a cooking recipe supply different contexts.
Other names can also vary by region or plant variety. The chart gives everyday equivalents, not scientific species identifications. In this guide babunaj means chamomile; it is not used as a blanket translation for every daisy. Compare spice names.
07Ask for what you mean
MSA · addressing a man
أُرِيدُ وَرْدَةً وَاحِدَةً، مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
uridu wardatan wahidatan min fadlik
I would like one rose, please.
Wahida makes the quantity one explicit. To a woman, the polite ending is min fadliki. A flower name, a quantity, and a colour can make a request clear without a long speech. Use the reference chart to practise recognising another name.
What to remember
- Zahra is a flower; warda is specifically a rose.
- Zuhur and azhar mean flowers; wurud means roses.
- Common plant names need context and may vary locally.
Your reference shelf
Open a guide whenever you need it.
15 flower namesEveryday names rather than a botanical identification key.
| English | Arabic | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Rose | وَرْدَة | warda |
| Jasmine | يَاسَمِين | yasamin |
| Lily | زَنْبَق | zanbaq |
| Tulip | تُولِيب | tulib |
| Carnation | قَرَنْفُل | qaranful |
| Chrysanthemum | أُقْحُوَان | uqhuwan |
| Sunflower | دَوَّار الشَّمْس | dawwar ashshams |
| Lavender | خُزَامَى | khuzama |
| Iris | سَوْسَن | sawsan |
| Narcissus | نَرْجِس | narjis |
| Violet | بَنَفْسَج | banafsaj |
| Lotus | لُوتَس | lutas |
| Orchid | أُورْكِيد | urkid |
| Camellia | كَامِيلِيَا | kamilia |
| Chamomile | بَابُونَج | babunaj |
Qaranful means carnation in this flower chart. In cooking it can mean cloves. Local labels and borrowed spellings may differ.
Sources & further learning
References for the language explanations and learning guidance.
