Language
Arabic swear words
A guide to swearing in Arabic: 20 words and phrases from the Swear Atlas catalogue, organised from mild to strong and explained in plain English. Every entry links to its full page with meaning, pronunciation and a 1–5 Burn Rating.
Common Arabic swear words
The recognisable everyday expressions, with what each one actually means.
- يا جبان · ya jaban Literally “you coward”. It directly accuses someone of being a coward. It's not inherently obscene but can be quite insulting depending on context. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا حمار · ya himar This is an insult that calls someone stupid, akin to saying 'you donkey' in English. It’s a way to demean someone's intelligence. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا زفت · ya zift It's a dismissive insult aimed at someone annoying or useless. Literally, it translates to 'you tar.' 2/5 · Coarse
- أحا · aha This is an Egyptian exclamation used to express shock, disbelief, or protest. It's a strong reaction that can convey a range of emotions depending on the context. 3/5 · Vulgar
- بيضان · bidan This is a vulgar Egyptian term used to describe things that are annoying or tedious, literally translating to 'testicles.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- خرا · khara This term means 'shit' and is often used as an insult. It's also a vulgar reference to bodily functions. 3/5 · Vulgar
- طيز · tiz This is a vulgar term for the buttocks used in various Arabic dialects. It's not universally recognized across all Arabic-speaking regions. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا ابن الحرام · ya ibn al-haram This is an insult that translates to 'son of the forbidden,' similar to calling someone a bastard. It implies a negative judgment about the person's parentage. 3/5 · Vulgar
Milder expressions
Gentler exclamations and everyday grumbles.
- يا جبان · ya jaban Literally “you coward”. It directly accuses someone of being a coward. It's not inherently obscene but can be quite insulting depending on context. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا حمار · ya himar This is an insult that calls someone stupid, akin to saying 'you donkey' in English. It’s a way to demean someone's intelligence. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا زفت · ya zift It's a dismissive insult aimed at someone annoying or useless. Literally, it translates to 'you tar.' 2/5 · Coarse
Stronger stuff
The heavier end of the scale — handle with care.
- كس · kuss This is a strong vulgar term for 'vulva' used in various Arabic dialects, often regarded as extremely offensive. It's not a formal medical term and is considered very crude in conversation. 5/5 · Extreme
- زب · zibb Literally “dick”. This is a vulgar term for male genitalia, often used to insult someone or express disdain. 4/5 · Strong
- كل خرا · kul khara It’s a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, dismissing them completely. Literally, it translates to 'eat shit.' 4/5 · Strong
- نيك · nik This term means 'fucking' and is used in a vulgar sexual context. It's often a part of curses or insults. 4/5 · Strong
- يا ابن الكلب · ya ibn al-kalb This is a strong personal insult that translates to 'you son of a dog.' It implies a serious offense, particularly regarding someone's parentage. 4/5 · Strong
Arabic insults
Words aimed at a person rather than shouted at the world.
- كل خرا · kul khara It’s a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, dismissing them completely. Literally, it translates to 'eat shit.' 4/5 · Strong
- يا ابن الكلب · ya ibn al-kalb This is a strong personal insult that translates to 'you son of a dog.' It implies a serious offense, particularly regarding someone's parentage. 4/5 · Strong
- خرا · khara This term means 'shit' and is often used as an insult. It's also a vulgar reference to bodily functions. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا ابن الحرام · ya ibn al-haram This is an insult that translates to 'son of the forbidden,' similar to calling someone a bastard. It implies a negative judgment about the person's parentage. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا جحش · ya jahsh Literally “you donkey foal”. This is an insult aimed at someone perceived as foolish or badly behaved, likening them to a young donkey. It's a way to call someone an idiot or a jerk. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا حقير · ya haqir Literally “you contemptible person”. This is an insult expressing contempt, essentially calling someone a despicable or contemptible person. It's a direct affront to someone's character. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا خنزير · ya khinzir This is a strong personal insult that translates to 'you pig.' It's used to demean someone, often implying they are dirty or immoral. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا زبالة · ya zibala It’s an insult that calls someone trash or worthless. Literally, it translates to 'you rubbish.' 3/5 · Vulgar
Expressions & phrases
Multi-word expressions and set phrases.
- يا جبان · ya jaban Literally “you coward”. It directly accuses someone of being a coward. It's not inherently obscene but can be quite insulting depending on context. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا حمار · ya himar This is an insult that calls someone stupid, akin to saying 'you donkey' in English. It’s a way to demean someone's intelligence. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا زفت · ya zift It's a dismissive insult aimed at someone annoying or useless. Literally, it translates to 'you tar.' 2/5 · Coarse
- يا ابن الحرام · ya ibn al-haram This is an insult that translates to 'son of the forbidden,' similar to calling someone a bastard. It implies a negative judgment about the person's parentage. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا جحش · ya jahsh Literally “you donkey foal”. This is an insult aimed at someone perceived as foolish or badly behaved, likening them to a young donkey. It's a way to call someone an idiot or a jerk. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا حقير · ya haqir Literally “you contemptible person”. This is an insult expressing contempt, essentially calling someone a despicable or contemptible person. It's a direct affront to someone's character. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا خنزير · ya khinzir This is a strong personal insult that translates to 'you pig.' It's used to demean someone, often implying they are dirty or immoral. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا زبالة · ya zibala It’s an insult that calls someone trash or worthless. Literally, it translates to 'you rubbish.' 3/5 · Vulgar
How to pronounce them
An English-friendly “sounds like” cue for each.
- يا جبان · ya jaban Sounds like “yah jah-BAN”. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا حمار · ya himar Sounds like “ya hi-MAR”. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا زفت · ya zift Sounds like “ya zift”. 2/5 · Coarse
- أحا · aha Sounds like “ah-HAH”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- بيضان · bidan Sounds like “bee-DAAN”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- خرا · khara Sounds like “kha-RA”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- طيز · tiz Sounds like “teez”. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا ابن الحرام · ya ibn al-haram Sounds like “ya ibn al-HAH-ram”. 3/5 · Vulgar
Curious literal translations
What these expressions say word-for-word, versus what they really mean.
- يا جبان · ya jaban Literally “you coward” — It directly accuses someone of being a coward. It's not inherently obscene but can be quite insulting depending on context. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا جحش · ya jahsh Literally “you donkey foal” — This is an insult aimed at someone perceived as foolish or badly behaved, likening them to a young donkey. It's a way to call someone an idiot or a jerk. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا حقير · ya haqir Literally “you contemptible person” — This is an insult expressing contempt, essentially calling someone a despicable or contemptible person. It's a direct affront to someone's character. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا وسخ · ya wisikh Literally “you dirty person” — This is an insult calling someone a dirty person, implying they engage in filthy behavior. 3/5 · Vulgar
- زب · zibb Literally “dick” — This is a vulgar term for male genitalia, often used to insult someone or express disdain. 4/5 · Strong
How strong is Arabic swearing?
Burn Rating spread across all 20 Arabic entries (1 = mild, 5 = extreme).
- 1 · Mild 0
- 2 · Coarse 3
- 3 · Vulgar 12
- 4 · Strong 4
- 5 · Extreme 1
All Arabic words A–Z
خ
ز
ك
- كس · kuss This is a strong vulgar term for 'vulva' used in various Arabic dialects, often regarded as extremely offensive. It's not a formal medical term and is considered very crude in conversation. 5/5 · Extreme
- كل خرا · kul khara It’s a strong way to tell someone to fuck off, dismissing them completely. Literally, it translates to 'eat shit.' 4/5 · Strong
ن
ي
- يا ابن الحرام · ya ibn al-haram This is an insult that translates to 'son of the forbidden,' similar to calling someone a bastard. It implies a negative judgment about the person's parentage. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا ابن الكلب · ya ibn al-kalb This is a strong personal insult that translates to 'you son of a dog.' It implies a serious offense, particularly regarding someone's parentage. 4/5 · Strong
- يا جبان · ya jaban It directly accuses someone of being a coward. It's not inherently obscene but can be quite insulting depending on context. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا جحش · ya jahsh This is an insult aimed at someone perceived as foolish or badly behaved, likening them to a young donkey. It's a way to call someone an idiot or a jerk. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا حقير · ya haqir This is an insult expressing contempt, essentially calling someone a despicable or contemptible person. It's a direct affront to someone's character. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا حمار · ya himar This is an insult that calls someone stupid, akin to saying 'you donkey' in English. It’s a way to demean someone's intelligence. 2/5 · Coarse
- يا خنزير · ya khinzir This is a strong personal insult that translates to 'you pig.' It's used to demean someone, often implying they are dirty or immoral. 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا زبالة · ya zibala It’s an insult that calls someone trash or worthless. Literally, it translates to 'you rubbish.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا زفت · ya zift It's a dismissive insult aimed at someone annoying or useless. Literally, it translates to 'you tar.' 2/5 · Coarse
- يا سافل · ya safil It's an insult aimed at someone considered vile or badly behaved. Literally, it translates to 'you low person.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا كلب · ya kalb This is an insult implying that someone is untrustworthy or contemptible, akin to calling someone a 'dog' in English. The literal translation is 'you dog.' 3/5 · Vulgar
- يا وسخ · ya wisikh This is an insult calling someone a dirty person, implying they engage in filthy behavior. 3/5 · Vulgar