مجاور

The Arabic word for 'next to' or 'nearby' is مجاور (mujāwir). It's an adjective, so it describes a noun.

Certainly! You could say:

البيت مجاور للمسجد.
(The house is next to the mosque.)

Yes, it does. Since مجاور is an adjective, it will agree in gender with the noun it describes.

For a masculine noun, it's مجاور (mujāwir).
For a feminine noun, it's مجاورَة (mujāwira).

Here's an example:

المدرسة مجاورة للحديقة.
(The school is next to the park.)

Notice that 'المدرسة' (the school) is feminine, so 'مجاورة' is also feminine.

Yes, there are plural forms.

For masculine plural, it's مجاورون (mujāwirūn) or مجاورين (mujāwirīn).
For feminine plural, it's مجاورات (mujāwirāt).

You would typically use the plural form. For example, 'my male neighbors' would be جيراني المجاورون (jīrānī al-mujāwirūn) or simply جيراني (jīrānī) meaning 'my neighbors', as 'مجاور' isn't always used when referring to people in that way, but it can be. However, if you are describing things, it's more common. For example, 'the neighboring houses' would be البيوت المجاورة (al-buyūt al-mujāwira).

While مجاور technically means 'next to', for a 'neighbor' you would more commonly use the noun جار (jār) for a male neighbor, and جارة (jārah) for a female neighbor.

So, 'my next-door neighbor' would usually be expressed as جاري (jārī) for a male neighbor, or جارتي (jāratī) for a female neighbor.

مجاور is standard Arabic, so it's appropriate for both formal and informal contexts. It's a versatile word.

Yes, there are. Some common alternatives include:

بجانب (bijānib) - 'beside' or 'next to'
قرب (qurb) - 'near' or 'close to'

However, مجاور often implies a more direct adjacency, like two buildings sharing a wall.

The pronunciation of مجاور is 'mujāwir'.

'mu' like in 'mud'
'jā' like 'ja' in 'jar'
'wir' like 'we' in 'weep' followed by 'r'

Listen to native speakers if you can to get the intonation right!