Thank You in Arabic: Shukran, Dialect Versions and Replies

Quick answer "Thank you" in Arabic is shukran (شكرا), and it is understood from Morocco to the Gulf. "Thank you very much" is shukran jazeelan in Modern Standard Arabic, shukran kteer in Levantine, metshakker awi in Egyptian and shukran bzzaf in Moroccan Darija. To reply, say afwan (عفوا), "you're welcome," which works in every dialect.

Shukran is usually the first Arabic word people learn, and for good reason: you will need it before you need anything else. The taxi driver, the shopkeeper who wraps your spices, the neighbor who brings a plate of sweets, your partner's mother after dinner. One word covers all of them on day one.

But a single word only gets you through the first exchange. The moment someone answers your shukran, or the moment you want to thank someone properly, you notice how much more there is: stronger versions, dialect versions, the reply you are expected to give, and the fixed phrases people use after a meal. This guide covers how to say thank you in Arabic the way people actually say it, with the response for each.

A note on spelling: "kh" is the rough sound in Scottish "loch," "ḥ" is a breathy h from the throat, and "ʿ" is the Arabic letter ʿayn (ع), a squeeze in the throat that English does not have.

How to say thank you in Arabic: shukran

Shukran (شكرا) is the word that works everywhere: in Rabat, Cairo, Beirut and Dubai, in a shop or at a family table. It comes from the root sh-k-r (ش ك ر), which carries the idea of gratitude, and you will meet the same root in other words for thanks below.

Say it in two syllables, SHUK-ran, with the stress on the first one and the final n clearly pronounced. The "u" is short, like the vowel in "put." Many English speakers stretch it into "shoo-kraan," which is understood but sounds foreign. Listen to a native speaker once and you will hear how quick and light the word is.

In writing you will see it as شكرا or شكراً, with the small extra mark at the end. In text messages people also write it in Latin letters, "shukran" or "choukran" in North Africa, where French spelling habits are common.

Thank you very much in Arabic, dialect by dialect

Arabic has one shared written standard and many spoken dialects. The basic word for thanks is the same everywhere, but the way you make it stronger changes from region to region. If you are not sure which dialect you will need, our guide to which Arabic dialect to learn helps you decide.

• Modern Standard Arabic: shukran jazeelan (شكرا جزيلا), "thank you very much." Correct everywhere, but in daily life it sounds a bit formal, like "thank you most kindly." In Egypt the j becomes a g: shukran gazeelan.
• Levantine (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine): shukran kteer (شكرا كتير). Kteer means "a lot."
• Egyptian: metshakker awi (متشكر قوي) when a man says it, metshakkera awi (متشكرة قوي) when a woman says it. The form follows the speaker, not the person you are thanking.
• Moroccan Darija: shukran bzzaf (شكرا بزاف). Bzzaf is the Moroccan "very, a lot," and you will hear it all day.
• Gulf: next to shukran you will often hear mashkoor (مشكور), roughly "you are thanked." Said to a woman it becomes mashkoora (مشكورة). It sounds relaxed and friendly.
• Across many dialects: alf shukr (ألف شكر), "a thousand thanks."

Yislamu and merci: the thank-yous the lists leave out

In the Levant, the warmest everyday thanks is often not shukran at all but yislamu (يسلمو), literally "may they be kept safe." Friends say it to each other constantly, for a coffee, a lift, a favor.

And do not be surprised when people in Beirut, Casablanca or Cairo simply say merci. The French word has been part of spoken Arabic in those cities for generations. You will hear merci kteer in Lebanon, merci bzzaf in Morocco and mersi in Egypt. It is not a tourist compromise; it is how people really talk.

How to say you're welcome in Arabic

This is the part most lists skip, and the part people notice in real conversations. When someone hears shukran, they answer. Learning the reply is what turns a word into an exchange.

• Everywhere: afwan (عفوا), "you're welcome." Understood in every country.
• Formal Standard Arabic: la shukr ʿala wajib (لا شكر على واجب), "no thanks needed for a duty." You will see it in writing and hear it when someone wants to sound gracious.
• Egyptian: el-ʿafw (العفو). Also common is ʿala eh? (على إيه؟), literally "for what?", meaning "don't mention it."
• Levantine: ahlan w sahlan (أهلا وسهلا), which literally means "welcome" but also works as "you're welcome." In Lebanon you will hear walaw (ولو), something like "oh please, of course."
• Moroccan: bla jmil (بلا جميل), roughly "it's no favor," and mrḥba (مرحبا), "with pleasure."

Many people also answer a thank you with a blessing that echoes it. If someone says yislamu to you in Damascus, allah ysallmak (الله يسلمك), "may God keep you safe," is a natural reply. These pairs work exactly like the greeting pairs in our guide to Arabic greetings and responses: one person says a formula, the other answers with its partner.

Thanking your host: what to say after a meal

At a family table, a plain shukran can feel a little thin. There are fixed phrases for thanking the cook, and knowing them changes how people see you, especially on a first visit to a partner's family.

Egypt

To the person who cooked, say tislam eedak to a man or tislam eedik to a woman (تسلم إيدك), "may your hand stay safe." It is the standard compliment for food, and a second tislam eedik on the way out is never too much. Our guide on how to learn Egyptian Arabic covers the rest of the Cairo dialect.

The Levant

Here the same idea is yislamu ideik (يسلمو إيديك), "may your hands be kept safe." Your host may say sahtein (صحتين), "double health," something like "enjoy," and the reply is ʿala albak (على قلبك), "on your heart." When someone has worked hard for you, say yaʿteek el-ʿafye (يعطيك العافية), "may God give you strength," and expect allah yʿafeek in return.

Morocco

In Morocco baraka llahu feek (بارك الله فيك), "God bless you," is one of the most common ways to say thanks, warmer than shukran. The answer is u feek baraka (وفيك بركة), "and blessing on you too." For more of the dialect, see our guide on how to learn Moroccan Arabic.

Islamic ways to say thank you: jazakallahu khayran

Many people searching for thank you in Arabic are looking for the Islamic form. That is almost always jazakallahu khayran (جزاك الله خيرا), "may God reward you with good." It is a deeper thank you, used when someone has done you a real favor, and it is common among practicing Muslims everywhere, in Arabic-speaking countries and far beyond them. The reply is wa iyyak (وإياك), "and you too," or wa iyyakum to a group or to be extra polite.

Related, and easy to mix up: "thank God" is alhamdulillah (الحمد لله), "praise be to God." It is not a thank you to a person. It is what people say after good news, after a meal, and as the standard answer to "how are you?" We explain this and the other phrases you will hear every day in our guide to Islamic phrases in Arabic.

No thank you, thank you for everything, and other everyday lines

• No, thank you: la, shukran (لا شكرا). At a market stall this is all you need: smile, say it, keep walking. In Egypt the "la" often ends with a short stop, laʾ, shukran.
• Thank you for everything: shukran ʿala kull shi (شكرا على كل شي) in Levantine, shukran ʿala kull haga (شكرا على كل حاجة) in Egyptian. The pattern is shukran ʿala plus the thing you are grateful for.
• I thank you, more formal: ashkurak (أشكرك) to a man, ashkuruki (أشكركِ) to a woman. You will meet this more in Standard Arabic than in the street.

Saying no to food is its own skill. In many Arab families a host offers several times, and a first no is often heard as modesty rather than a real refusal. Saying you are full works better than a bare no: ana shabʿan (أنا شبعان) as a man or ana shabʿana as a woman in Egyptian, shbiʿt (شبعت) in Levantine. Add a compliment about the food, and many people put a hand on their heart as they say it.

Common mistakes when saying thank you in Arabic

Using only the formal version. Shukran jazeelan is never wrong, but if it is the only thing you say, you sound like a textbook. In Beirut, shukran kteer or yislamu fits the room better.

Getting the gender wrong in Egyptian. Metshakker is the man's form, metshakkera the woman's, and it describes you, the speaker. Mashkoor in the Gulf works the other way around: it describes the person you thank.

Not answering. When someone thanks you, silence or a nod reads as cold. Afwan takes half a second.

Flattening the sounds. In shukran it is just the short u and the stress. In the phrases around it, the ʿayn in ʿala albak and the ḥ in mrḥba are the sounds learners skip. Our guide on how to pronounce Arabic letters walks you through both, and if you want to check how a phrase is said in a particular dialect, try our Arabic dialect translator.

The fastest way to start thanking people in real Arabic

Reading these phrases is the easy part. Saying shukran kteer with the right rhythm, hearing ahlan w sahlan come back at you, and answering without hesitation is what makes them stick. Fifteen minutes of speaking practice a day does more for that than an hour with a phrase list. If you want to practice the exact exchanges from this guide out loud, in the dialect you need, start a conversation in Yallah Speak and say your first shukran today.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say thank you in Arabic?

Say shukran (شكرا), pronounced SHUK-ran with the stress on the first syllable. It is understood in every Arabic-speaking country, in shops, taxis and at home.

How do you say thank you very much in Arabic?

In Modern Standard Arabic it is shukran jazeelan (شكرا جزيلا). In everyday speech people say shukran kteer in the Levant, metshakker awi (man) or metshakkera awi (woman) in Egypt, and shukran bzzaf in Morocco.

How do you say you're welcome in Arabic?

Afwan (عفوا) works everywhere. Egyptians often say el-ʿafw, Levantine speakers say ahlan w sahlan or walaw, and Moroccans say bla jmil.

What is the Islamic way to say thank you?

Jazakallahu khayran (جزاك الله خيرا), "may God reward you with good." The usual reply is wa iyyak, "and you too," or wa iyyakum to a group.

How do you say no thank you in Arabic?

La, shukran (لا شكرا). When a host keeps offering food, saying you are full, ana shabʿan in Egyptian or shbiʿt in Levantine, is the polite way to make the no stick.