The Arabic language is widely spoken throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In most Arab countries, "giamìl" (جميل) is said to refer to a man and "iamìla" to a woman. The pronunciation is "gia-mìl" or "gia-mìla", but be aware that in some areas the "G" is hard; in these cases, the pronunciation becomes "ga-mìla".
Steps
Step 1. We say "giamìl" to refer to a man and "iamìla" to a woman
It translates as "beautiful" and is pronounced "gia-mìl" or "gia-mìla". In the Arabic alphabet it is written like this: جميل.
- Some Arabic-speaking peoples (eg Egyptians) tend to pronounce the word with a hard "G", as in "ga-mìl" or "ga-mìla". Be aware that people may draw conclusions about you if you say the word a certain way. Before speaking, listen carefully and try to take an example from the context that surrounds you.
- Note that "giamìl" and "giamìla" are only phonetic approximations of the Arabic word (جميل). There is only one official way to write the word in Arabic, but you can find it transliterated into the Latin alphabet in various forms: jamila, jameelah, gamila, gameela, etc. The important thing is that you know how to pronounce it.
Step 2. Do not say "iamìl" or "iamìla" of things that are beautiful only on the surface
For Arabs, this word has a meaning that goes far beyond "good looks", but refers to a deep and inner beauty, as if "there was something beautiful inside you". Show respect for the word and for the culture in which it is inserted by saying that someone / something is "giamìl" only if you are particularly impressed by its inner beauty.
Step 3. To mean "you are beautiful", you can say "Ènti giamìla" (if addressed to a woman) or "Ènta giamìl" (if addressed to a man)
The pronunciation is respectively "Èn-ti gia-mìla" (for a woman) or "Èn-ta gia-mìl" (for a man).
- Be careful with words. Call a woman "giamìla" only if you already know her or if you meet her in a formal context. Don't go around telling women you don't know, or they might think you have bad intentions.
- Call a woman "ya amar" (يا قمر), which means "my moon" or "my splendor". The pronunciation is "ya kamar". It's a powerful sentence, so only say it if you really think what you're saying.
Step 4. Note that "giamìl" is sometimes used to mean "good"
You can say "hètha giamìl" or "da gamìl" about something you like and think is good or beautiful. Pronounce it "hè-tha gia-mìl".
