How to say “help!” in Egyptian Arabic
In Cairo you say el7a2ooni! (الحقوني!). Tap play to hear it, then slow it down.
Read it your way:
- el7a2ooni!الحقوني!Help! (lit. catch up with me, all of you)
Shouted to everyone around. To one person: “el7a2ni!” (to a man) or “el7a2eeni!” (to a woman). Passers-by in Cairo really do come running.
When to use it
El7a2ooni! is the shout for help to everyone around. To one person, say “el7a2ni” (to a man) or “el7a2eeni” (to a woman). For “can you help me?” in a shop, use “momken tesa3edni?”.
Learn it with
ettesel bel-es3af / etteseli bel-es3af
اتصل بالإسعاف / اتصلي بالإسعافCall an ambulance! (to a man / to a woman)
- فين أقرب مستشفى؟
Where's the nearest hospital?
et3awwart
اتعورتI've hurt myself
3andi ta2meen
عندي تأمينI have insurance
Say it out loud in a 6-minute lesson
“el7a2ooni!” is in Unit 8, Pharmacy & doctor: “Emergencies”. Start free with Units 1–2, then unlock every unit with Pro. Practise with Egyptian audio, pronunciation feedback and an AI partner that talks like a Cairene.