How to say "bad" in Arabic
New wordMeaningbad
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
سَيِّئ
sayyiʾסיא
سيئ
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
רע
raرَا
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
س-و-أLearn 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
مِش مْنِيح
mish mnīḥמש מניחSpoken Levantine usually just says 'not good': mish mnīḥ.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
وِحِش
wiḥishוחשCairo's everyday 'bad' (and 'ugly') is wiḥish; mish kwayyis also works.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
خَايْب
khāybח'איבDarija's everyday 'bad' (and 'ugly') is khāyb.
In a phrase
خَبَر سَيِّئ
khabar sayyiʾח'בר סיאbad news
Feminine
سَيِّئَة
sayyiʾaסיאה