Bil Shami
Aisha Aji

How Do People in Damascus Name Sounds? Discover the Secrets of Our Dialect!

In Damascus, everything has a sound… and every sound has a name. Nothing happens around us without us giving it a name that fits just right—from hammers to spoons, ghee to cars, our dialect knows exactly how to describe every little detail. It’s like life has its own sound effects… only in Damascene Arabic.

كيف أهل الشام بيسمّوا الأصوات؟ تعرفوا على اسرار لهجتنا!

Sound names in Damascus? They’re a language of their own!

Water boiling in a pot? That’s boqboqabubbling

Water sloshing in a bucket? That’s kharkharasloshing

Ghee sizzling on top of fatteh? Tashtashasizzling

Shivering from the cold? That’s tak takashuddering

Stuttering when you speak? Ta’ta’astuttering

Speaking nonsense? That’s barbarababbling

Grinding your teeth? That’s kazkaza

Your keys clinking together? That’s khashkhasha

Chalk screeching on a board? Sarsarascreeching

Knocking on a door? Daqdaqaknocking

A laugh from the heart? Karkaraa hearty laugh

Mouthwash swishing? Ghargharagargling

Whispering softly? Washwashawhispering

Stomach rumbling? Zaqzaqagrumbling

Table wobbling? La’la’awobbling

Car stalling or slowing down? We say: “fi laklaka bel sayyara”

A ringing bell? Tantana

Scratching your skin? Hak haka

A ball bouncing off the ground? Dajdaja

Did you like the article about: How Do People in Damascus Name Sounds? Discover the Secrets of Our Dialect? You might also like: 12 Things That Remind Us Exactly Why We Love Damascus