What does habibi mean? When and when not to use the term in the UAE – The National

What does habibi mean? When and when not to use the term in the UAE – The National

As a long-term resident of Abu Dhabi, it only took me a few months to recognise that terms of endearment in the Arabic language are frequently used here in both personal and professional circles.

Whether it’s during a catch-up over dinner or a breakfast business meeting, affectionate monikers are exchanged between friends and colleagues in a way that wouldn’t perhaps be appropriate in western countries.

I found this out the hard way on my last trip back to Australia, where I grew up, when during a dinner with “the boys" I began a discussion with “my dear Murad”. Murad was totally weirded out.