Flood in Arabic
Ustazah Alaa · November 9, 2026 · 3 min read
Quick Answer
Flood in Arabic is فَيَضَان (fayaḍān), and in Malay it is banjir. A flash flood is سَيْل (sayl). These are Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) words, the Arabic you hear in news and weather reports.
Introduction
Rainy-season weather updates are part of daily life in Malaysia, so words like flood and warning come up often in the news and in conversation. How do you say them in Arabic?
If you want to learn Arabic for everyday life, weather words are some of the most useful to pick up early. Here are the six that matter most, with sentences to practise.
How do you say "flood" in Arabic?
| Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| فَيَضَان | fayaḍān | flood (banjir) |
| سَيْل | sayl | flash flood (banjir kilat) |
| أَمْطَار غَزِيرَة | amṭār ghazīra | heavy rain (hujan lebat) |
| مَرْكَز إِيوَاء | markaz īwāʾ | relief centre (pusat pemindahan sementara) |
| تَحْذِير | taḥdhīr | warning (amaran) |
| الْمُتَضَرِّرُونَ | al-mutaḍarrirūn | the people affected (mangsa) |
فَيَضَان: the plural is فَيَضَانَات, and the plural of سَيْل is سُيُول.
ā, ī and ū are long vowels, ḍ is a heavy "d", gh is like a French "r", and ʾ is a short pause.
What useful sentences can you use?
| Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| نَزَلَتْ أَمْطَارٌ غَزِيرَةٌ لَيْلَةَ أَمْسِ. | Nazalat amṭārun ghazīra laylata amsi. | Heavy rain fell last night. |
| حَدَثَ فَيَضَانٌ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ. | Ḥadatha fayaḍānun fī l-madīna. | A flood happened in the city. |
| نُقِلَتِ الْعَائِلَاتُ إِلَى مَرْكَزِ إِيوَاءٍ. | Nuqilati l-ʿāʾilātu ilā markazi īwāʾ. | The families were moved to a relief centre. |
| صَدَرَ تَحْذِيرٌ مِنْ سُيُولٍ مُفَاجِئَةٍ. | Ṣadara taḥdhīrun min suyūlin mufājiʾa. | A warning was issued about flash floods. |
Can you follow a short dialogue?
- سَارَة: هَلْ بَيْتُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ؟ (Is your house all right?)
- أَحْمَد: دَخَلَتِ الْمِيَاهُ إِلَى الْحَدِيقَةِ فَقَطْ. (Water only got into the garden.)
- سَارَة: هَلْ تَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى مُسَاعَدَةٍ؟ (Do you need help?)
- أَحْمَد: شُكْرًا، نَحْنُ بِخَيْرٍ. (Thanks, we are fine.)
Did You Know?
فَيَضَان comes from the root ف-ي-ض, which is about overflowing. You can explore more word families like this in Rooto.
Summary
- Flood = فَيَضَان; flash flood = سَيْل.
- Heavy rain = أَمْطَار غَزِيرَة.
- Relief centre = مَرْكَز إِيوَاء; warning = تَحْذِير.
FAQ
Which Arabic should I learn for everyday life?
It depends on your goal. MSA is best for reading news and formal speech, like the words in this post. For talking with people day to day, Arabs use dialects, so many learners add one, such as Syrian/Levantine Arabic.
What is the plural of "flood" in Arabic?
It is فَيَضَانَات (fayaḍānāt). For flash floods, the plural is سُيُول (suyūl).
Keep Learning
Not sure whether to start with MSA or a dialect? Read Syrian Dialect vs MSA: What Should You Learn? and find more everyday Arabic lessons on the blog.
If you would like a teacher to guide you and correct your pronunciation, LangPage offers live Arabic lessons on Zoom with me. You can choose one-to-one lessons or the small-group Arabic Kickstart program, and see all the Arabic courses on the classes page.