How to say "pleasure, good mood (Arabic) → fun (Israeli slang)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningpleasure, good mood (Arabic) → fun (Israeli slang)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
kayfכיף
كيف
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
kefكِف
How the two words are related
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
ك-ي-فArabic kayf is 'state, mood, pleasure' — the word that wanders the world as 'keef'. Hebrew made it its basic word for fun and grew a whole family from it: לכייף 'to have fun', כיפי 'fun (adj.)', and the hybrid על הכיפאק.
Learn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
ay flattens to ē in the Levant — kēf, exactly the vowel Hebrew borrowed.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
Same flattening in Cairo: kēf — ʿala kēfak, 'as you like'.
In a phrase
every day is a pleasure
More words from this root
More in Arabic You Already Speak
- pleased, contented (Arabic) → pleased, satisfied (Israeli slang)mabsūṭمَبْسُوطמבסוט
- straight ahead; frankly (Levantine Arabic) → straight talk, bluntly (Israeli slang)dughrīدُغْرِيדוגרי
- light, lightweight (Arabic) → careless, slapdash (Israeli slang)khafīfخَفِيفחפיף
- scandal, disgrace (Arabic) → embarrassing flop, blooper (Israeli slang)faḍīḥaفَضِيحَةפדיחה
- 'double health!', bon appétit (Arabic) → well done!, good on you (Israeli slang)ṣaḥḥataynصَحَّتَيْنסחתיין
- watch out!, mind yourself (Levantine Arabic) → watch it! (Israeli slang warning)dīr bālakدِير بَالَكדיר באלק
All Arabic You Already Speak words Explore all root families