My School in Arabic
Ustazah Alaa · November 15, 2026 · 3 min read
Quick Answer
School in Arabic is مَدْرَسَة (madrasa), and my school is مَدْرَسَتِي (madrasatī). A teacher is مُعَلِّم (muʿallim) and a pupil is تِلْمِيذ (tilmīdh). These are Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) words, the Arabic of textbooks and school notices.
Introduction
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended the Anak Malaysia Carnival at SK Polis Depot after a pupil invited him, so school life was in the news. How do you talk about your own school in Arabic?
If you want to learn Arabic for everyday life, school is one of the easiest topics to begin with, because everyone has a story about it. Here are the six words that matter most, with sentences to practise.
How do you say "school" in Arabic?
| Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مَدْرَسَة | madrasa | school (sekolah) |
| مُعَلِّم | muʿallim | teacher (guru) |
| تِلْمِيذ | tilmīdh | pupil (murid) |
| صَفّ | ṣaff | class (kelas) |
| حَقِيبَة مَدْرَسِيَّة | ḥaqība madrasiyya | school bag (beg sekolah) |
| مَقْصَف | maqṣaf | canteen (kantin) |
مَدْرَسَتِي: add the ending ـِي (-ī) to a noun to say "my". So مُعَلِّمِي is "my teacher" and حَقِيبَتِي is "my bag". A female teacher is مُعَلِّمَة.
ā, ī and ū are long vowels, ṣ, ṭ and q are heavy sounds, ḥ is a soft breathy "h", dh is like "th" in "this", th is like "th" in "think", and ʿ is a deep sound from the throat.
What useful sentences can you use?
| Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| هَذِهِ مَدْرَسَتِي. | Hādhihi madrasatī. | This is my school. |
| مُعَلِّمِي لَطِيفٌ جِدًّا. | Muʿallimī laṭīfun jiddan. | My teacher is very kind. |
| أَنَا تِلْمِيذٌ فِي الصَّفِّ الرَّابِعِ. | Anā tilmīdhun fī ṣ-ṣaffi r-rābiʿ. | I am a pupil in Year 4. |
| حَقِيبَتِي الْمَدْرَسِيَّةُ ثَقِيلَةٌ. | Ḥaqībatī l-madrasiyyatu thaqīla. | My school bag is heavy. |
| نَأْكُلُ فِي الْمَقْصَفِ. | Naʾkulu fī l-maqṣaf. | We eat at the canteen. |
Can you follow a short dialogue?
- أَحْمَد: فِي أَيِّ صَفٍّ أَنْتِ؟ (Which class are you in?)
- سَارَة: أَنَا فِي الصَّفِّ الرَّابِعِ. (I am in Year 4.)
- أَحْمَد: وَكَيْفَ مُعَلِّمَتُكِ؟ (And how is your teacher?)
- سَارَة: مُعَلِّمَتِي لَطِيفَةٌ جِدًّا. (My teacher is very kind.)
Did You Know?
مَدْرَسَة comes from the root د-ر-س, which is about studying. So a school is, quite literally, "a place of study", and the same root gives دَرْس, a lesson. You can explore more word families like this in Rooto.
Summary
- School = مَدْرَسَة; my school = مَدْرَسَتِي.
- Teacher = مُعَلِّم; pupil = تِلْمِيذ.
- Class = صَفّ; school bag = حَقِيبَة مَدْرَسِيَّة; canteen = مَقْصَف.
FAQ
How do you say "primary school" in Arabic?
مَدْرَسَة اِبْتِدَائِيَّة is a primary school, and مَدْرَسَة ثَانَوِيَّة is a secondary school. Both start with the word مَدْرَسَة.
Which Arabic should I learn for everyday life?
It depends on your goal. MSA is best for reading textbooks and school notices, like the words in this post. When friends chat about school, they use their own dialect, so many learners add one, such as Syrian/Levantine Arabic.
Keep Learning
Not sure whether to start with MSA or a dialect? Read Syrian Dialect vs MSA: What Should You Learn?.
Everyday Arabic is easier to pick up with someone who can correct your pronunciation. LangPage offers live Arabic lessons on Zoom with me, either one-to-one or in the small-group Arabic Kickstart program. You can see all the Arabic courses on the classes page.
Sources: Malay Mail.