Essential Arabic Question Tools أدوات الاستفهام

Essential Arabic Question Tools (With Full Vowels, Transliteration, and Examples)

Learning Arabic question tools (أدوات الاستفهام) is a very important step when mastering Arabic conversations. These tools help you ask questions about people, things, time, place, reason, and more.

In this lesson, you’ll find:

• The Arabic question words with full vowel markings (تشكيل)
• Their meanings in English
• Example sentences
• Transliteration for easier pronunciation

Let’s dive in!

Arabic Question Tools

Arabic (With Vowels)	Transliteration	Meaning
مَنْ	man	Who
مَا	mā	What (for things)
مَاذَا	mādhā	What (for actions)
مَتَى	matā	When
أَيْنَ	ayna	Where
كَيْفَ	kayfa	How
كَمْ	kam	How many / How much
أَيُّ	ayyُ	Which
لِمَاذَا	limādhā	Why
هَلْ	hal	(Yes/No Question)

Examples With Full Vowels and Transliteration

Here are examples showing how each question tool is used in a sentence:

1. مَنْ (man) – Who

Arabic:
مَنْ هٰذَا الرَّجُلُ؟
Transliteration:
man hādhā ar-rajulu?
Meaning:
Who is this man?

2. مَا (mā) – What (for things)

Arabic:
مَا هٰذَا؟
Transliteration:
mā hādhā?
Meaning:
What is this?

3. مَاذَا (mādhā) – What (for actions)

Arabic:
مَاذَا تَفْعَلُ؟
Transliteration:
mādhā tafʿalu?
Meaning:
What are you doing?

4. مَتَى (matā) – When

Arabic:
مَتَى تَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ؟
Transliteration:
matā tadhhabu ilā al-madrasati?
Meaning:
When do you go to school?

5. أَيْنَ (ayna) – Where

Arabic:
أَيْنَ الْكِتَابُ؟
Transliteration:
ayna al-kitābu?
Meaning:
Where is the book?

6. كَيْفَ (kayfa) – How

Arabic:
كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟
Transliteration:
kayfa ḥāluka?
Meaning:
How are you?

7. كَمْ (kam) – How many / How much

Arabic:
كَمْ كِتَابًا عِنْدَكَ؟
Transliteration:
kam kitāban ʿindaka?
Meaning:
How many books do you have?

8. أَيُّ (ayyُ) – Which

Arabic:
أَيُّ كِتَابٍ تَقْرَأُ؟
Transliteration:
ayyُ kitābin taqraʾu?
Meaning:
Which book are you reading?

9. لِمَاذَا (limādhā) – Why

Arabic:
لِمَاذَا تَبْكِي؟
Transliteration:
limādhā tabkī?
Meaning:
Why are you crying?

10. هَلْ (hal) – (Yes/No Question)

Arabic:
هَلْ أَنْتَ طَالِبٌ؟
Transliteration:
hal anta ṭālibun?
Meaning:
Are you a student?

Final Thoughts

Mastering these question tools will open the door for you to have richer conversations in Arabic. Practice them daily by creating simple questions, and try to use them in real conversations.

Stay tuned for more lessons where we will practice forming full dialogues using these essential tools!