Last updated: July 18, 2021
WARNING: In this article you will find explicit, graphic language. Furthermore, I strongly discourage any reader – especially non-native speakers – to use any of these expressions!
In daily life, when listening to native Arabic speakers, sadly enough, you will encounter swear words – like in most other languages, of course. It is quite difficult to look them up in dictionaries or even to correctly identify them as insults.
I have compiled a list of frequent Arabic swear words and curse words (Schimpfwörter und Fluchwörter for the German readers).
In my opinion, it is important to know which words people might throw at you. Thus, it is important to know swear words – but NOT, I repeat, NOT to use them!
I can only strongly underline that people should not use such words – especially, if you are from outside and may harm people’s feelings without even knowing it.
How did I compile this list? I have asked friends, listened to street conversation, and analyzed chat language.
Of course such a list can never be comprehensive. It should only give you an idea and some hints to identify situations when people use such strong words.
If you know any other expressions which are used as swear words or curses, please feel free to add them by using the comment section!
Note that many swear words listed under a certain country on this page may also be used in other countries.
About the nature of Arabic swear words
It is usually about sex or animals – that’s basically not really different compared to other languages. However, there are some specialties which are related to Arab culture which we will examine now:
Words related to women
Oftentimes, when people want to insult another person, they use words which are related to women:
- … by insulting a person’s mother or sister – because the mother is kind of sacred in Arabic culture.
- … by using words that describe women’s genitals. The most infamous, filthy Arabic swear word is probably “kuss ummak” (kiss immak) which literally means “your mother’s vagina“.
Words that accuse men of being feminine
Besides, you will hear swear words that use the following ingredients: people use expressions that describe men as feminine: for example, by accusing them of looking like women or behaving like women. Often this comes down to call other people “gay”.
Egyptian Arabic swear words
Son of…
Ibn el-Labwa (ابن اللبوة) – son of a bitch
Ya-bn-el-mitneka (يا ابن المتناكة) – son of a bitch
Ibne-sharmouta (ابن الشرموطة) – son of a bitch (whore)
Ibn el-Fash-kha (ابن الفشخة) – son of a bitch
Ars (عرص) – pimp (قَوّاد). Sometimes also in the meaning of jerk (شخص أحمق).
Ars (عرص) is probably one of the most common insults in Egypt. What does it literally mean? It is, in fact, pretty difficult to translate. It became infamous recently. When the current leader of the regime, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, seized power in the 2013 coup d’état, a twitter hashtag was trending: “Vote for the pimp” (#انتخبوا_العرص). Now, where does the word عرص come from?
It is an expression that was probably coined during the British colonial period in Egypt. In line with the policies of the English occupier, prostitution in Egypt was a legal and permissible economic activity. Egyptians used the term during the British colonial era to denote a policeman who monitors prostitutes in their profession (حارس الرذيلة).
Baa’ boos (بعبوص) – middle finger
Hanikak (هنيكك) – I will fuck you
Remark: A lot of slang and insults are based on the verb “naak” (ناكَ) in the past or in the present tense: “yaneek” (يَنيكُ). It is a verb, used in several dialects, which expresses “to have sexual intercourse”; vulgar: to fuck someone.
Khawal (خول) – gay
Loty (لوطي) – gay
Ya gazma (يا جزمة) – fuck you! (literally, the word means shoes)
Zebby febo’ak (زبي في بقك) – my penis in your mouth!
Ya zebala (يا زبالة) – you piece of garbage!
Levantine (Syrian and Lebanese) Arabic swear words
Son of…
Ibne-sharmouta (ابن الشرموطة) – son of a bitch (whore)
Ibnel ghahba (ابن القحبة) – son of a whore
Ibnel ahbe (ابن الاحبة) – son of a whore
Ibnel aahra (ابن العاهرة) – son of a bitch
Ibnel balla’a (ابن البلاعة) – son of a cock sucker
Ibnel memhoune (ابن الممحونة) – son of a horny/very slutty bitch
My penis/cock in…
Airi feek (ايري فيك) – my penis in… (often, you will hear the preposition ب). It denotes “fuck you” when someone is dissing a person. Literally, it means “my dick is in you“. It is used in Lebanon and Syria as well. It does not necessarily express an insult. Young people use the expression among friends (usually male only). It is usually only said to men.
Airi bikhtak (ايري باختك) – my penis in your sister
Airi bimmak (ايري بامك) – my penis in your mother
Airi bsittak (ايري بستك) – my penis in your grandmother
Airi babuk (ايري بابوك) – my penis in your father
Airi betizak (ايري بطيزك) – my penis in your ass
Airi bebzezat ikhtak (بيري ببزيزات اختك) – my penis between your sister’s tits
Airi beshafrat kiss immak (ايري ببخش طيزا لامك) – my penis in your mother’s asshole
Akroot (عكروت) – jerk
Biddi inkahak (بدي انكحك) – I will fuck you!
Nayik ikhtak (نايك اختك) – Fuck your sister!
Ib’etli ikhtak (ابعتلي اختك) – send me your sister (to fuck her)!
Zebetly likhtak (زبطلي اختك) – Prepare your sister for me to fuck her!
Kiss immak (كس امك) – you mother’s vagina
Khrinte (خرنتة) – sissy
Firshaye (فرشاية) – oral sex
Muss airi (مص ايري) – suck my cock
Ruh intak (روح انتاك) – Fuck off!
Shrab minne (سراب منة) – Drink cum!
Dahri aleik (ضهري عليك) – I will cum on you!
Tilhas airi (تلحس ايري) – lick my cock
Tilhas beidi (تلحس بيضي) – lick my balls
Tilhas bekh-shi (تلحس بخشي) – lick my ass(hole)!
Kharaya aleik (خرايا عليك) – my shit on you!
Yil’an kiss immak (يلعن كس امك) – damn your mother’s vagina!
Qawwad (قواد) – pimp [also, like in Egypt, ars (عرص) is used].
Dayous (ديوث) – pimp
Ya kalb (يا كلب) – You dog!
Ya-hmar (يا حمار) – you idiot! (literally, donkey)
Allah yel’ena’k (الله يلعنك) – Allah damn you!
Yikhreb beitak (يخرب بيتك) – Allah shall destroy your house!
Tunisian Arabic swear words
Barra nayk (بارا نايك) – Fuck you (avery strong insult)
Mossi krary (مصلي كرارزي) – suck my balls
Malhat (ملحات) – bitch
Asba ala Sormek (اصبع على صرمك) Get a penis in your hole (vagina)!
Zaaka (زاكا) – ass
Nouna (نونا) – clitoris
Hawi (خاوي) – impotent
Other Arabic dialects
Mikwa (مكوى) – ass (in Saudi Arabic)
Jarrar (جرار) – pimp (in Saudi Arabic)
Ayre billi bazzarak (ايري بيلي بزرك) – it is used in the meaning of: screw the one who brought you to life!
Khaneeth el-‘oud (خنيث العود) – fucking asshole (in Bahraini Arabic)
Memsouk (ممسوخ) – gay (in Moroccan Arabic)
There is more interesting stuff here:
- What does Dunya mean?
- الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمِ: “Prayer is better than sleep” – Is it really “better”?
- How are family names constructed in Arabic?
- The causative description in Arabic: السّيارَةُ الْجميلُ لونُها – Is there a mistake?
- What are the ten different types of ما ma?
Picture credit: pixabay
Would the intimate phrases be okay to use for consenual intimacy? I’m writing a spicy novel, and the female character speaks arabic.
I thought there were expressions which evoke desert animals and generations of curse on descendants Like may the dogs of the desert consume your entrails and and may the dogs evacuate their bowels on your remains ( some more graphic descriptions of your desired fate )
Hi Wiley, I am sure there are nice examples of such expressions, however, when you listen to contemporary street Arabic, you here different stuff… If you know any good “desert animal style” example, please let me know. I am happy to include “classical” examples.
Since I’m somewhat fluent in MSA reading these CERTAINLY made me cringe in mortification lol. It feels like swearing in my own native tongue (which I never do bc it’s… very harsh, to me). English just goes for the Fs but man Arabic is brutal like my language… anyway thanks for compiling this list bc elsewhere I’ve seen really dumb literal translations of Arabic slang and curses. “Make Out in Arabic” comes to mind bc it’s just… Bad. Let’s superimpose English on Arabic and have literal translations of Eng to Arb!! Instead of actually using the regional Ar slang!! As I said, dumb.
Jesse and Marian – thank you for your comment. I appreciate it. It was quite a challenge, but we all know that most people don’t speak sophisticated Fusha…
Jesse, I agree with you!
Moreover, it is courageous to post it. But I can imagine it also must have been a hilarious job to write it. Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot, had a good laugh and I realized that we (the Dutch) are very boring in our way of expressing our fear and anger.
Swearwords may not be politically correct, but the dirt inside sometimes needs to be spit out in order to make room again for some fresh air.
Gerald did a good job to not hide these words in the secret drawer of some old sideboard.
Thank you so much for putting this together. This can’t have been easy or comfortable to compile. Naturally, theses are not the sort of things I’d say to people, but useful to know when I encounter these terms on the streets or hear them in a movie.