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Abú Dhabí or Abú Zabí? In Czech, the capital of the United Arab Emirates is written in two different ways, and you will come across both in Czech news, on maps and in travel brochures. Before we reveal what the language authorities say, we would like to know how you would write Abu Dhabi in Czech.
How would you write it in Czech?
Table of Contents
How do you spell Abu Dhabi in Czech?
The recommended Czech spelling is Abú Dhabí, with a long ú and a long í at the end. According to the Internet Language Reference Book of the Czech Language Institute, it is the form recommended by the Index of Czech Exonyms (2019), which is binding for some ministries. The world names database of the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre (ČÚZK) also lists it as the main name.
Abú Zabí is not a mistake, though. The reference book explicitly allows it and adds that it is even more frequent in the Czech National Corpus. ČÚZK lists it as a variant name. The only form the reference book advises against is a third one with a short i at the end (Abú Dhabi): it appears in the official Czech spelling rules, but it is the least common of the three.
Why does one city have two Czech names?
It all comes down to a single Arabic letter. In Arabic the city is called أبو ظبي, and the letter ظ stands for a sound that Czech does not have. English traditionally writes it as dh, hence Abu Dhabi. Scholarly transliteration writes it as a z with a mark below the letter (Abū Ẓabī), and when the mark is dropped, you get Abú Zabí. The UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN) notes that this letter appears in non-standard romanisation as d, dh or z, and gives Abu Dhabi as an example.
In Czech, Abú Dhabí is pronounced [abú dabí], with a silent h. The name does not decline and is neuter, so Czech says v Abú Dhabí (in Abu Dhabi) just as it says do Abú Dhabí (to Abu Dhabi).
Who writes Abú Dhabí and who writes Abú Zabí?
Authorities and language references stick to Abú Dhabí, while the media are split. This is how the best-known ones do it:
| Who | Spelling |
|---|---|
| Index of Czech Exonyms (ČÚZK) | Abú Dhabí, variant Abú Zabí |
| Czech Language Institute | Abú Dhabí, Abú Zabí also acceptable |
| Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Abú Dhabí (Embassy of the Czech Republic in Abú Dhabí) |
| Novinky.cz | Abú Dhabí |
| ČTK (Czech News Agency) | Abú Zabí |
| Czech Wikipedia | Abú Zabí |
| ČT24 (Czech Television) | both: the topic page is called Abú Zabí, articles use both forms |
| UAE Government portal | Abu Dhabi |
How do we write it?
On our Czech pages we write Abú Dhabí. It is the recommended Czech form, it is used by Czech diplomacy, and it is the closest to what you will see on the ground: on road signs and in names such as Louvre Abu Dhabi. Anyone who writes Abú Zabí is not making a mistake, they are simply using the variant that the official references list second.
For us, Abu Dhabi is more than a question of spelling. Why investors are looking beyond Dubai to the capital of the Emirates is covered in our article Beyond Dubai: Discovering the Investment Potential of Abu Dhabi.
Want to see Abu Dhabi for yourself?
Staying in Dubai in one of our apartments, for example our one-bedroom apartment a few steps from JBR Beach? Abu Dhabi is one to one and a half hours away by car, and we are happy to advise you on how to get there and what to see. And if you are considering an apartment in the Emirates as an investment, browse our current property listings.
Frequently asked questions
How do you spell Abu Dhabi in Czech?
The recommended Czech spelling is Abú Dhabí, with a long ú and a long í at the end. It is recommended by the Index of Czech Exonyms of the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre and by the Czech Language Institute. Abú Zabí is an accepted variant, not a mistake.
Is Abú Zabí wrong?
No. The Czech Language Institute explicitly allows it and the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre lists it as a variant name. It is used, for example, by the Czech News Agency and by Czech Wikipedia. The recommended form, used by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is Abú Dhabí.
How is Abú Dhabí pronounced in Czech?
As [abú dabí], with a silent h. The h is a remnant of the English transliteration dh, which English uses for the Arabic letter ظ. Czech does not have this sound, so it is read as a plain d.
Does Abú Dhabí decline in Czech?
No, the name is indeclinable and neuter. Its ending never changes, so Czech says v Abú Dhabí (in Abu Dhabi), do Abú Dhabí (to Abu Dhabi) and z Abú Dhabí (from Abu Dhabi).
What is the Czech adjective for Abu Dhabi?
Abúdhabský, written as one word with a lowercase initial letter and pronounced [abúdapský]. The variant Abú Zabí gives the adjective abúzabský.
