You are beautiful
to a woman
أَنْتِ جَمِيلَة
anti jamīla
to a man
أَنْتَ وَسِيم
anta wasīm
You are beautiful (to a woman), you are handsome (to a man).
You are beautiful in Arabic, and why Muslims add mashaAllah
You are beautiful in Arabic is anti jamīla (أَنْتِ جَمِيلَة) to a woman or girl. To a man, say anta wasīm, "you are handsome". Muslims usually add mashaAllah to any compliment.
Saying it to
Other ways to say it
Very beautiful
to a woman
جَمِيلَة جِدًّا
jamīla jiddan
to a man
جَمِيل جِدًّا
jamīl jiddan
Very beautiful.
Pretty, sweet
to a woman
حُلْوَة
ḥulwa
to a man
حُلْو
ḥulw
Sweet, pretty. Said ḥilwa and ḥilw in speech.
How beautiful this is!
مَا أَجْمَلَ هٰذَا!
mā ajmala hādhā!
How beautiful this is! For a place, a gift or a view.
How to reply
Thank youReply
شُكْرًا
shukran
Thank you.
May Allah bless youReply
to a woman
بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكِ
bārakallāhu fīki
to a man
بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ
bārakallāhu fīka
May Allah bless you.
From the Sunnah and the Quran
Allah is beautifulHadith
إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ
inna-llāha jamīlun yuḥibbu l-jamāl
Indeed, Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty.
Sahih Muslim 91, from Abdullah ibn Masud.
Modern Standard Arabic, with the vowel marks. Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
You are beautiful in Arabic, meaning and use
To say you are beautiful in Arabic, say anti jamīla (أَنْتِ جَمِيلَة) to a woman or girl. To a man, anta wasīm (أَنْتَ وَسِيم), "you are handsome", sounds more natural, though anta jamīl is also correct. In everyday speech, many people say ḥilwa, "pretty, sweet".
The forms at a glance
| Phrase | To a woman | To a man |
|---|---|---|
| You are beautiful | أَنْتِ جَمِيلَة anti jamīla | أَنْتَ وَسِيم anta wasīm |
| Very beautiful | جَمِيلَة جِدًّا jamīla jiddan | جَمِيل جِدًّا jamīl jiddan |
| Pretty, sweet | حُلْوَة ḥulwa | حُلْو ḥulw |
| May Allah bless you | بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكِ bārakallāhu fīki | بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ bārakallāhu fīka |
Who to say it to
These are words for the people closest to you: your wife or husband, your mother, your daughter, a little sister getting ready for Eid. Parents say anti jamīla to a daughter and anta wasīm to a son to build their confidence. Kind words cost nothing, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "A good word is charity" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2989).
Beautiful things and places
Jamīl is used for things too: manẓar jamīl, a beautiful view, or mā ajmala hādhā!, "how beautiful this is!". Ḥulw literally means sweet, so it is also how you say a dessert is sweet.
Why Muslims add mashaAllah
When Muslims admire a person, a child or a new home, they say mashaAllah, "what Allah has willed", or bārakallāhu fīk, "may Allah bless you". The praise goes back to Allah, who made the beauty, and the words are a protection against envy and the evil eye.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty" (Sahih Muslim 91). He said it when a man asked whether loving fine clothes and good shoes was pride. The Prophet ﷺ explained that it was not: pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.
- Sahih Muslim 91, from Abdullah ibn Masud.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2989, from Abu Hurayrah.
Questions
Good to know
How do you say you are beautiful in Arabic?
Anti jamila (أَنْتِ جَمِيلَة) to a woman. To a man, anta wasim (you are handsome) or anta jamil.
How do you say beautiful in Arabic?
Jamil for a man or a thing, jamila for a woman or a feminine word. Very beautiful is jamila jiddan.
What does hilwa mean?
Pretty or sweet. It is the everyday word in Egypt, the Levant and the Gulf, said to a woman or girl.
What do Muslims say when they see something beautiful?
MashaAllah (what Allah has willed), and often barakAllah (may Allah bless it).