At the Egyptian market: 40 words and phrases to shop in Egyptian Arabic

Planning a trip to Cairo, Alexandria or Luxor, and hoping to wander through a سوق (sou') without freezing in front of the merchant? The Egyptian market is one of the most alive language playgrounds you'll find: prices shouted across the alley, ritual greetings, jokes flying around, and of course the famous المساومة (el-mosama7a), the art of bargaining. This lexicon gathers 40 attested words and phrases in Egyptian Arabic that you will actually hear in the lanes of Khan el-Khalili or at a neighborhood stall.

Every term below comes from our Targumi Egyptian Arabic dictionary and lessons. You won't make anything up: you'll sound like a beginner who knows what they are saying.

Assess your Egyptian Arabic level with our free test (5 min)

The market, a living monument of Egyptian culture

In Egypt, the market is not just a place where you buy tomatoes. It is a social institution. At Khan el-Khalili, founded in the 14th century, people come as much for copperware, spices or a شنطة (shanta) bag as they do to drink tea and chat with the neighborhood عطار (3attar) spice merchant. The word سوق (sou') refers to this place where words matter as much as goods.

For a traveler, it is the perfect spot to practice Egyptian Arabic: merchants are patient with foreigners, they happily repeat themselves, and they love when you try a few words. If you want to dive deeper, check out our guide to greetings in Egyptian Arabic first; it's essential before approaching any vendor.

Core market vocabulary

Here are the first words to know to find your way around an Egyptian sou'. They come up in almost every shopping conversation.

Cultural note: the word خان (Khan) historically referred to a caravanserai, a roadside inn where merchants stopped with their caravans. That's why Khan el-Khalili, the great Cairo souk founded in the 14th century, bears this name. You can find everything there, from hand-hammered copper to papyrus.

Asking a price and paying

This is the heart of every transaction. If you only remember five phrases, make it these. Note that بكام (bikaam) is the most common way to ask a price, much more natural than formal constructions.

Examples:

• Bikaam el mango da? : How much is this mango?
• El si3r kaam? : What's the price?
• Khamsa gineeh. : Five pounds.
• Ghali awi! : That's really too expensive!
• Da rakhiis awi! : That's really cheap!

The Egyptian pound (gineeh) is divided into piastres, but at the market people almost always quote whole pounds. For small units (one onion, one cup of tea), prices are usually per item; for fruits and vegetables, per كيلو (kilo) or per نص (nus) kilo, that is, half a kilo.

The grand art of bargaining, plus tool words and politeness

The المساومة (el-mosama7a) is not optional: it's a tradition. In most non-touristy markets, prices are already low and bargaining stays modest. At Khan el-Khalili or in touristy areas, however, merchants often announce a high opening price knowing you will negotiate. The golden rule: offer a price noticeably lower than the one quoted, smile, then let yourself be persuaded slowly.

To these verbs and expressions add the small words that make a sentence really sound Egyptian. They are the difference between sounding like a phrasebook and sounding like a person.

Typical bargaining lines:

• Arkhislii chwayya, ya basha. : Give me a better price, sir.
• Mafish takhfiid? : No discount?
• Bikaam ba'a? : So how much?
• Tayyib, meyya bas. Akher se3r! : Okay, one hundred. Last price!
• Aywa, haakhud. : Yes, I'll take it.

The word بقى (ba'a) is a small marvel of Egyptian speech. It has no exact translation: it's a discourse marker similar to "so", "well", "then", loaded with implied tone. It instantly makes your sentence sound more local. Likewise, اوي (awi) means "very" and goes after the adjective: ghali awi (very expensive), kwayyis awi (really good).

For politeness, remember min fadlak (informal, to a man) or law sama7t (more polite). And never skip the shukran: a smile and a thank you open every door in the sou'. To get comfortable with pronunciation, our guide to the Egyptian Arabic alphabet and pronunciation is a great starting point.

Join the Targumi Egyptian Arabic WhatsApp community to practice bargaining with fellow learners and native speakers.

Fruits, vegetables and souk produce

Fruit and vegetable stalls are where you will speak the most, because shopping happens daily. Vendors often shout kilo bi khamsa (kilo for five) or call out their prices loudly to attract customers. Here are the most useful terms.

The adjective بلدي (baladi) is precious: it qualifies anything that is "of the country", local, traditional. Aysh baladi is traditional Egyptian flatbread; shanta baladi, an artisanal bag. Ask for it at the market and you signal that you want the local stuff, not industrial, and vendors appreciate that.

Examples:

• Kilo tomata bikaam? : How much is a kilo of tomatoes?
• Talaata basal, law sama7t. : Three onions, please.
• Nus kilo tomata. : Half a kilo of tomatoes.
• El khodar wel fakha arkhas hena. : Vegetables and fruits are cheaper here.
• 3aawiz shanta baladi. : I want a traditional bag.

Going further: a mini-dialogue and your next steps

Here is how a typical market scene plays out. Picture yourself at Khan el-Khalili, in front of a fruit stall, wanting one kilo of tomatoes and three onions.

You: Sabah el kheir, ya basha. Bikaam kilo el tomata? (Good morning, sir. How much is a kilo of tomatoes?)

Vendor: Khamsa w 3eshrin gineeh. (Twenty-five pounds.)

You: Ghali awi! Arkhislii chwayya. (Too expensive! Give me a better price.)

Vendor: Tayyib, 3ashreen. (Okay, twenty.)

You: Tamantashar? (Eighteen?)

Vendor: Tayyib, meyya bas. Akher se3r! (Okay, last price!)

You: Aywa, haakhud kilo. W talaata basal kaman, law sama7t. (Yes, I'll take a kilo. And three onions too, please.)

Vendor: Itfaddal. Shukran. (Here you go. Thank you.)

You: Shukran, ma3a salama. (Thank you, goodbye.)

See? In about one minute of dialogue, you used roughly fifteen words from this list. That is exactly how an ordinary purchase unfolds in an Egyptian sou'. The key is to smile and be patient.

To push your learning further, we recommend continuing with our Egyptian Arabic course on Targumi, which covers the lessons "The Egyptian market", "As-souq, at the market", "Buying and bargaining", and "Food and groceries". Each lesson includes dialogues recorded by native speakers and a quiz system to lock in the vocabulary.

Conclusion

You are now armed with 40 attested words and phrases to step into any Egyptian sou' and find your way around. The trick is not to know everything, but to dare say bikaam, arkhislii chwayya and shukran. Merchants love it when you try. And bargaining, above all, is a social game: take your time, laugh, refuse, come back. That is how the best Cairo encounters begin.

Happy souking!

Sources and references

• Khan el-Khalili : Wikipedia
• Egyptian Arabic : Wikipedia
• Egyptian pound : Central Bank of Egypt
• Egyptian Arabic phrasebook : Wikivoyage
• Historic Cairo : UNESCO