alayki

Alayki is the transliteration of the Arabic word عَليكِ, a prepositional phrase meaning “upon you” or “on you” addressing a female listener. It is formed from the preposition على (ala) meaning “on” or “upon,” combined with the feminine second-person pronoun suffix -ki, indicating the listener is female.

In Arabic grammar, pronoun suffixes after prepositions vary by gender and number. The feminine singular form alayki contrasts with the masculine singular alayka (عَلَيْكَ). There are also forms for other persons: alaykum (عَلَيْكُم) for you all, and alaykunna (عَلَيْكُنَّ) for you all (feminine). Without diacritics, the spelling can be ambiguous, so diacritics often clarify the intended gender and pronunciation.

Usage and context: alayki is used to express obligation, guidance, or direction toward a female listener. It appears in sentences such as “عليكِ أن تتعلمي العربية” meaning “You must learn Arabic,” or “عليكِ الالتزام بالأدب” meaning “You should adhere to propriety.” Beyond everyday speech, the phrase is common in religious, educational, and formal contexts where directives are addressed to a female audience.

Classification: alayki is not a standalone lexical item with a separate meaning; rather, it is a grammatical construction that encodes the second-person feminine subject within a prepositional phrase. It illustrates how Arabic marks gender and agreement in pronouns after prepositions.

See also: Arabic grammar, Arabic pronouns, on/about constructions, alayka, alaykum.