Michael in Arabic is ميخائيل (Mīkhāʾīl) for the archangel in Christian Arabic and ميكال (Mīkāl) in the Quran, and Wiktionary lists a third spelling, ميكائيل (Mīkāʾīl). For an English speaker named Michael, Arabic writes the sound: مايكل (Maykel), as for Michael Jordan.
Copy the form you need. The Listen button reads each spelling in your device's Arabic voice, if it has one, so you can hear how ميخائيل and مايكل differ.
| Use it for | Copy this | Transliteration | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| The form Arab Christians use, from the Arabic Bible | ميخائيل | Mīkhāʾīl | |
| A second spelling of the same name | ميكائيل | Mīkāʾīl | |
| The Quranic form, the one Muslims use | ميكال | Mīkāl | |
| The English name Michael, spelled by its sound | مايكل | Maykel |
Michael in Arabic calligraphy, in three styles
Renders of ميخائيل, ميكائيل and مايكل, in Amiri, Lemonada and Rakkas, drawn straight from the font files.
ميخائيل or مايكل: which spelling should you use?
For the archangel, the form depends on the source: Arabic Wikipedia titles its article ميخائيل (ملاك), the Quran names him ميكال in Quran 2:98, beside Jibrīl, Gabriel, and Wiktionary lists ميكائيل for the archangel and as a given name. For an English speaker, use مايكل: all five Michaels in the table further down have it.
| Spelling | Who uses it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ميخائيل | Arab Christians: the archangel Michael | Arabic Wikipedia, ميخائيل (ملاك) |
| ميكائيل | The archangel, and a given name: a third spelling | Wiktionary |
| ميكال | The Quran: the archangel, in 2:98 | Quran 2:98; Wiktionary |
| مايكل | Arabic writing the English name Michael by its sound, for an English speaker | our name tool, from Arabic Wikipedia |
How Arabic Wikipedia writes people called Michael
For the archangel Michael, Arabic Wikipedia uses the Arabic form. For the five modern people called Michael in the table below, its titles write مايكل five times. Our name tool gives مايكل, a spelling taken from Arabic Wikipedia.
| Person or work | Arabic Wikipedia title | First name as written |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | مايكل جوردن | مايكل |
| Michael Phelps | مايكل فيلبس | مايكل |
| Michael Faraday | مايكل فاراداي | مايكل |
| Michael Caine | مايكل كين | مايكل |
| Michael Schumacher | مايكل شوماخر | مايكل |
How ميخائيل is spelled, letter by letter
ميخائيل has seven letters, read from right to left, starting with the letter م, mīm. One letter, ا alif, never joins the letter after it, so ميخائيل always shows one small gap. Arabic writes only long vowels as letters. The three short vowels are marks that everyday spelling leaves out; مِيخَائِيل shows them.
| Letter | Name | Sound | Joins the next letter? |
|---|---|---|---|
| م | mīm | m | Yes |
| ي | yāʾ | ī | Yes |
| خ | khāʾ | kh | Yes |
| ا | alif | ā | No, never |
| ئ | hamza on a yāʾ seat | ʾ | Yes |
| ي | yāʾ | ī | Yes |
| ل | lām | l | Last letter |
What does Michael mean?
Michael means who is like God?, according to Behind the Name. The Hebrew Mikaʾel is a question, who is like God?, made of mi, who, ke, like, and ʾel, God. The question implies that no one is like God. Michael was one of the 25 most common names given to boys born in the US in 2024, in the Social Security Administration's 2024 national file, as copied in the usbabynames data package.
Two related names on this site are Daniel in Arabic, دانيال and John in Arabic, يحيى. For Arabic names to choose from, browse the Arabic boy names with their meanings, part of our Arabic vocabulary lists.
Write ميخائيل in more fonts and download it
Paste ميخائيل into the box below, or into our Arabic calligraphy generator, to draw it in 12 more fonts and save it as a PNG.
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Naskh the print style
Thuluth-style Naskh with Thuluth touches
Kufi angular, for logos and titles
Ruqah everyday handwriting
Nastaliq the hanging Persian and Urdu style
Kano West African reed-pen style
Poster bold display lettering
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Frequently asked questions
What is Michael in the Quran?
The Quran names the archangel ميكال (Mīkāl) in 2:98, together with Jibrīl. Wiktionary also lists the spelling ميكائيل (Mīkāʾīl), and Arab Christians write ميخائيل (Mīkhāʾīl).
Is مايكل correct for Michael?
Yes, for an English speaker. مايكل spells the English sound, and Arabic Wikipedia uses it for Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps and Michael Faraday. For the archangel, use ميخائيل or ميكال.
What does the name Michael mean?
Michael means who is like God?. The Hebrew Mikaʾel is a question: who is like God?
Which spelling of Michael should I use for a tattoo?
For the Arabic name, use ميخائيل. The letter alif never joins the letter after it, so the one small gap is correct. For the English name as English speakers say it, use مايكل. Paste either into the Arabic tattoo checker on this site before the stencil is made.