What does “يا كلب” mean in English?
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.'
Literally “you dog”
It's typically used as a direct insult, similar to saying 'you bastard' or 'you jerk,' and its strength can vary depending on the relationship and context.
Take it with you
Wear it. Stick it. Drink from it.
Put يا كلب on a mug, a T-shirt or a sticker as Swear Atlas stamp artwork. You'll finish your order with Zazzle, our print partner — they handle payment, printing and delivery.
Adult/mature product · 18+. Purchases, delivery, returns and support are provided by Zazzle, not Swear Atlas. Availability is subject to Zazzle's policies.
Related Arabic words
يا ابن الحرام
3/5 · Vulgarya 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.
يا جحش
3/5 · Vulgarya 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.
يا حقير
3/5 · Vulgarya haqir
This is an insult expressing contempt, essentially calling someone a despicable or contemptible person. It's a direct affront to someone's character.
يا خنزير
3/5 · Vulgarya 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.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via 4troDev/profanity.csv (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.