Suhoor or Sehri? A Plain English Guide to Ramadan Words and Their Spellings

Every year, as Ramadan gets closer, the same question pops up in offices and classrooms across Britain. A colleague says she’s getting up for sehri. Another says suhoor. A third writes suhur in an email. Are they talking about the same thing? They are. English has borrowed many words from Arabic, Urdu and other languages to talk about Ramadan, and because these words come from different alphabets, there’s no single correct way to spell them.

This guide explains the most common Ramadan words in plain English, with the spellings you’re most likely to see. It’s useful for learners of English, for teachers and employers, and for British Muslims who want to explain the month to friends. You’ll even find some of these words in travel adverts, from cheap umrah packages to special trips for the holy month, so knowing what they mean helps outside the mosque too.

Why the spellings vary

Arabic is written in its own alphabet, and some of its sounds don’t exist in English. When a word is written in English letters, the writer has to choose how to show those sounds. This is called transliteration, and different people make different choices.

Many British Muslims also have family roots in Pakistan, India or Bangladesh, where Urdu, Punjabi or Bengali versions of the words are common. So the same meal might be called suhoor (from Arabic) or sehri (from Urdu). Neither is wrong. They just come from different languages.

A simple rule for writers is to pick one spelling and stick with it in the same piece of writing.

The month itself

Ramadan / Ramazan / Ramzan. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is the most common spelling in British English. Ramzan is widely used by people of South Asian background, and Ramazan is close to the Turkish and Persian forms.

Sawm / Roza. The fast. Sawm is the Arabic word, and roza is the Urdu and Persian word. A person who is fasting might say “I’m keeping my roza” or simply “I’m fasting”.

The meals

Suhoor / Suhur / Sehri. The meal eaten before dawn, before the fast begins. It’s usually quick and simple, often eaten half asleep.

Iftar / Iftaar. The meal that breaks the fast at sunset. Traditionally, people start with a date and some water. In Britain, iftar can mean anything from a quick snack at work to a big family meal or a community dinner at the mosque.

Open fast. A phrase you’ll often hear from British Asian families, meaning to break the fast. “What time do we open our fast today?” means “What time is iftar?” It’s a good example of how English grows when communities mix.

The prayers and nights

Taraweeh / Tarawih. Special night prayers held in Ramadan after the evening prayer. In many mosques, the imam recites the whole Quran over the month.

Laylat al-Qadr / Shab-e-Qadr. The Night of Power, believed to be the night the Quran was first revealed. It falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan, and Muslims spend these nights in extra prayer. Shab-e-Qadr is the Urdu and Persian name.

I’tikaf. Staying in the mosque for worship, usually for the last ten days of Ramadan.

Qiyam. Extra night prayers, often held late at night in the last ten days.

Giving

Zakat. A yearly payment to charity that Muslims who can afford it must make, worked out as a share of their savings. Many people pay it in Ramadan.

Sadaqah. Voluntary charity, given at any time, in any amount.

Zakat al-Fitr / Fitrana. A small payment made before the Eid prayer, so that people in need can also celebrate. Fitrana is the common South Asian name.

Travel words linked to Ramadan

Ramadan is also the busiest time of year for Muslim travel, and some new words come with it.

Umrah. The lesser pilgrimage to Makkah, which can be done at almost any time of the year. Many Muslims dream of doing it in Ramadan.

You’ll see this in travel adverts every winter. Ramadan Umrah Packages are trips that include flights, hotels and a visa for Umrah during the holy month. Agents often divide them into “first ten days”, “middle ten days” and “last ten days”, because each part of the month has a different price and a different feel. The last ten are the most popular because of Laylat al-Qadr.

Haram. In this context, the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Be careful, because the same English letters are used for a different Arabic word, haraam, which means forbidden. The two words are pronounced differently in Arabic.

Makkah / Mecca. The holy city. Makkah is closer to the Arabic and is now the spelling preferred by Saudi Arabia and many Muslims. Mecca is the older English spelling and is still widely used.

The end of the month

Eid al-Fitr / Eid ul-Fitr / Choti Eid. The festival at the end of Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr is a common British spelling. Some South Asian families call it Choti Eid, meaning the small Eid, to tell it apart from Eid al-Adha later in the year.

Eid Mubarak. The usual greeting, meaning “blessed Eid”. It works in any situation, and non-Muslim colleagues and neighbours often like to use it.

Chand raat. The night before Eid, when people look out for the new moon. It’s Urdu for “moon night”. In British Asian areas, it’s a busy night of shopping, henna and sweets.

Everyday phrases you might hear

Ramadan Mubarak / Ramadan Kareem. Greetings used at the start of the month. Mubarak means blessed, and Kareem means generous. Both are fine to use, and a colleague will usually be pleased to hear either.

Insha’Allah. Meaning “if God wills”. People say it when talking about the future, as in “See you at iftar, insha’Allah”. Spellings include inshallah and in sha Allah.

JazakAllah. A way of saying thank you, meaning “may God reward you”. You’ll often hear it when someone brings food to share at iftar.

Alhamdulillah. Meaning “all praise is for God”. It’s said often, including at the moment of breaking the fast.

Some tips for writers and learners

If you’re writing about Ramadan for school, work or a website, a few simple habits help:

First, choose one spelling for each word and use it all the way through. Second, capitalise the names of months, festivals and special nights, such as Ramadan, Eid and Laylat al-Qadr, but not ordinary words like iftar or suhoor. Third, explain a word the first time you use it, as not every reader will know it. And finally, don’t worry too much about being wrong. Most Muslims are happy that you’ve taken the trouble to learn.

Language changes as people live side by side. Not long ago, few people in Britain would have known what iftar meant. Today, you’ll find it on supermarket shelves, in school newsletters and on the evening news. Learning the words of Ramadan is a small way of understanding your neighbours a little better.