שش

How to say "oh, peace! (Arabic exclamation of admiration) → wow! (Israeli slang)" in Arabic

Loanword

Meaningoh, peace! (Arabic exclamation of admiration) → wow! (Israeli slang)

Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic

يَا سَلَام

yā salāmיא סלאם

يا سلام

Hebrew · Modern Hebrew

יא סלאם

ya salamيَا سَالَام

How the two words are related

Loanword

Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).

Arabic root

س-ل-م

Hebrew root

ש-ל-ם

The same س-ل-م/ש-ל-ם root as שלום itself, here used as an exclamation of admiration or astonishment rather than a greeting — closer to 'wow, would you look at that' than 'peace be with you'. Israeli slang borrowed it as a burst of amazement.

Related Hebrew word:שלוםshalomشَالُوم

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In a phrase

يَا سَلَام عَلَى هٰذَا
yā salām ʿalā hādhāיא סלאם עלא האד'א

wow, how amazing!

The root family

س-ل-مש-ל-ם· wholeness, peace

The flagship pair: שלום and salām are the same word, from a root meaning wholeness and safety in both languages. Arabic's Form IV verbal noun islām — handing oneself over whole — is built exactly like Hebrew הַשְׁלָמָה, and even שילם "to pay" matches Arabic sallama "to hand over": paying is making someone whole.

  • سَلَام salāmpeaceשָׁלוֹםpeace
  • سَلِمَ salimahe was safe, came out unharmedשָׁלֵםwhole, intact
  • سَلَّمَ sallamahe greeted; handed overשִׁלֵּםhe paid (made whole)
  • إِسْلَام islāmIslam — surrender (to God)הַשְׁלָמָהcompletion; acceptance
  • مُسْلِم muslimMuslim — one who surrenders (to God)מַשְׁלִיםone who completes / accepts
  • سَلَامَة salāmasafety, well-being (as in maʿa s-salāma)

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