Shami
Spoken across Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. Known for soft consonants and a shared cultural vocabulary.
Modern Standard Arabic
Also known as: MSA, Fuṣḥā, Literary Arabic, Standard Arabic
The codified supra-regional standard used across the Arab world in education, media, literature, and formal speech. Derived from Classical Arabic, it has no native speakers and no single regional home — it is acquired as a formal register layered above the spoken vernaculars. Cairo, as the historical center of Arabic publishing, broadcasting, and scholarship, serves as its conventional locus.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Modern Standard Arabic?
Modern Standard Arabic is a dialect of the Arabic language.
Where is Modern Standard Arabic spoken?
Modern Standard Arabic is primarily spoken in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Morocco.
Which region is Modern Standard Arabic associated with?
Modern Standard Arabic is part of the Middle East region on DialectAtlas.
Is Modern Standard Arabic known by other names?
Yes — Modern Standard Arabic is also referred to as MSA, Fuṣḥā, Literary Arabic, Standard Arabic.
What are the other dialects of Arabic?
Arabic also includes Levantine Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Gulf Arabic, Maghrebi Arabic, Iraqi Arabic, Sudanese Arabic, Yemeni Arabic, Hejazi Arabic, Najdi Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic, Chadian Arabic, Moroccan Darija, Algerian Arabic, Tunisian Arabic, Libyan Arabic, Saidi Arabic. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Arabic dialects
See on the atlas →Masri
The most widely understood Arabic dialect, carried across the region by cinema and music.
Khaliji
Spoken across the Arabian Peninsula. Retains classical features alongside modern urban slang.
Darija
Spoken across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Shaped by Berber, French, and Spanish contact.
Mesopotamian Arabic
Spoken across Iraq and parts of eastern Syria and southwestern Iran. Carries strong Aramaic and Turkic influence and splits internally between gilit (southern) and qeltu (northern) varieties.
The Arabic of Sudan, retaining a number of older features lost in other dialects and shaped by long contact with Nubian and other African languages.
A cluster of conservative Arabic varieties across Yemen. Often cited as preserving features close to Classical Arabic that have shifted elsewhere.
Hijazi
The Arabic of western Saudi Arabia, centred on Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah. Sits between Egyptian and Najdi varieties and is widely understood across the peninsula.
The Arabic of central Saudi Arabia around Riyadh. Closely related to Gulf Arabic but with distinct vowel and consonant features rooted in the bedouin Najd plateau.
A Bedouin-descended Arabic variety spoken across Mauritania, Western Sahara, and adjacent parts of the Sahel. Carries deep Berber substrate and a strong oral poetic tradition.
Shuwa Arabic · Baggara Arabic
Spoken across Chad and adjoining parts of Sudan, north-eastern Nigeria, and northern Cameroon. The main Sahelian Arabic variety, used as a lingua franca well beyond Arab communities.
Darija · Moroccan Arabic
The Maghrebi Arabic of Morocco, with heavy Berber substrate and substantial French and Spanish loanwords. Distinct enough from Mashreqi Arabic to function as a separate everyday language.
Dziri · Darja
The Maghrebi Arabic of Algeria. Internally varied between urban Tellian, Saharan, and Hilalian rural varieties; carries deep Berber substrate and French contact lexicon.
Tounsi · Derja
The Maghrebi Arabic of Tunisia. Notable for vowel reductions, a rich set of French and Italian loanwords, and a literary written tradition unusual among colloquial Arabic varieties.
Sulaimitian Arabic
The Maghrebi Arabic of Libya, transitional between western Maghrebi and Egyptian. Tripolitanian and Cyrenaican varieties differ noticeably in vocabulary and phonology.
Upper Egyptian Arabic
The Arabic of Upper Egypt, from Beni Suef south to Aswan. Conservative relative to Cairene Egyptian Arabic, with retained interdentals and a distinct rural prestige.