Welcome in Arabic, ahlan wa sahlan

To say welcome in Arabic, say ahlan wa sahlan (أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا). You can also say marḥaban bika to a man, marḥaban biki to a woman and marḥaban bikum to a group. If you mean "you're welcome" after someone thanks you, say ʿafwan (عَفْوًا).

The forms at a glance

Two kinds of welcome

English uses one word for two jobs. Arabic keeps them apart. Ahlan wa sahlan welcomes a guest to a place. ʿAfwan answers "thank you". So if a friend says shukran for the tea, you say ʿafwan, not ahlan wa sahlan. See thank you in Arabic.

Welcoming guests

Hospitality is close to the heart of Arab and Muslim life. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6018). Marḥaban is a word of the Sunnah too: when the delegation of Abd al-Qays arrived, the Prophet ﷺ said marḥaban bil-qawm, "welcome to the people" (Sahih al-Bukhari 53).

A guest entering a home gives the salam first. The Quran teaches: "when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other, a greeting from Allah, blessed and good" (24:61).

In the dialects

In the Gulf, a host says ḥayyākallāh, "may Allah give you life", and the guest answers Allāh yḥayyīk. In Egypt and the Levant, a host may tell a visitor nawwart, "you have lit up our home". Ahlan wa sahlan is understood in all of them.

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 6018, from Abu Hurayrah.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari 53, from Ibn Abbas.
3. Quran 24:61, translation by Sahih International.