دكتور لطيف يكشف على أذن الطفل بهدوء

What is “ear” in Egyptian Arabic?

Where Standard Arabic says أُذُن (udhun), Egyptians say ودن (widn): ودنك (widnak), “your ear,” and ودني بتوجعني (“my ear hurts”). The plural is ودان (wedān). It is a good example of a body part that changes shape between the textbook and the street, so hearing ودن at the clinic is a quick sign you are listening to real Egyptian.

A gentle doctor asks a small boy ممكن نكشف بعد إذنك؟ (“may we examine, with your permission?”) and then goes through his ears one at a time: شوف ودنك دي (“look at this ear of yours”), طب الناحية التانية (“now the other side”) and شفت الناحية التانية (“I’ve looked at the other side”). بعد إذنك is a politeness phrase in its own right and keeps the formal spelling.