Marhaba! We’ve all had days when things become unbearable at work or at home, or things heat up the wrong way in a conversation with friends or family, or after watching a football game and your favorite team loses. The easiest thing to do, at least I find to be the easiest, is to vent off. Sometimes things irritate us to a point where one is only satisfied by cursing or yelling out loud. Although there are several dialects for the Arabic language across the Arab world and within states, I’ve decided to share what I think are some of the best ways for expressing anger (غضب) in Arabic. I have added 6 of my top favorite! A word of advice (نصيحة): be careful how and when you use them, because you never know how things might develop after you’ve uttered one or all of these expressions.

Anger | Image by Craig Sunter | Flickr

Ya Ibn l Kalb (يا إبن الكلب)

This expression literally means ‘Son of a Dog.’ It insults the parents, family, and person in particular. You can hear this expression frequently around the Arab world, when someone is frustrated with their boss, a politician, or a next door neighbor.

Yikhrib Baytak (يخرب بيتك)

 This expression literally means ‘may God destroy your house.’ For example, this is usually expressed in total anger at the marketplace. When you’re out buying a new jacket or something and the merchant tries to rip you off with the price and you catch them red-handed, then this is an appropriate expression!

Ya Kazzab (يا كذاب)

 This expression literally means ‘you liar.’ For example, if one of your friends frequently makes stories about things they are doing and it turns out that they’re lying this is an appropriate expression to vent off your anger.

Tank Angry | Image by Seth Woodworth | Flickr

Ya Harami (يا حرامي)

This expression literally means ‘you thief.’ If someone happens to be stealing from your crops or merchandise at a store, this expression out loud in Arabic is really insulting and depicts an intense level of anger against the thief.

 Ya Hayawen (يا حيوان)

This expression literally means ‘you animal.’ If you are tying to relax on your vacation day and your neighbor keeps on yelling or kids are playing loudly or someone is playing music really loud, then you might vent off your anger by saying ‘ya hayawen.’

 Ya Hamaji (يا همجي)

This expression literally means ‘you uncivilized/ you barbaric.’ If you are dining with friends at a fine and expensive restaurant in the city, and you hear someone speaking and screaming out loud, then you might express your anger by calling ya hamaji.

 What’s your favorite expression? And would you suggest something else?

Angry Face | Image by Graeme Maclean | Flickr

Stay tuned for upcoming posts.

Have a nice day!

نهاركم سعيد