مَلْعُون
malʕūn
The English word 'cursed' is translated into Arabic as مَلْعُون (malʕūn). Wiktionary also lists لَعِين (laʕīn).
Meaning: having some sort of divine harm (adj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| مَلْعُون | malʕūn |
| لَعِين | laʕīn |
The term is used to describe someone or something that is subject to divine harm.
Which one should you use?
The standard form مَلْعُون (malʕūn) is used for both people and objects. For a more intense or literary effect, you might use لَعِين (laʕīn) to describe something that is inherently or deeply accursed.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, the masculine form is مَلْعُون and the feminine form is مَلْعُونَة.
How does it change in a sentence?
For masculine plural nouns, use مَلْعُونُونَ (malʕūnūn) in the nominative case or مَلْعُونِينَ (malʕūnīn) in the accusative or genitive cases.
How do you pronounce it?
malʕūn
Did you know?
- While مَلْعُون literally means 'cursed' by God, in many Arabic dialects, it is used colloquially to describe a person who is incredibly clever, mischievous, or even 'devilishly' smart.
- In certain contexts, the term لَعِين is used to describe the Devil, serving as one of his primary epithets in Arabic literature and religious discourse.
- The word for 'curse' in Arabic, لَعْنَة (laʕna), shares a linguistic root with the concept of being 'distanced' or 'expelled' from divine mercy.
Examples in context
- لقد أصبح مكانًا ملعونًا بسبب تلك الأحداث الكارثية.The place has become cursed due to those catastrophic events.
- هذا مكان مَلْعُون.Hadha makan mal'oon.This is a cursed place.
- أشعر أن هذا الكتاب مَلْعُون.Ash'ur anna hadha al-kitab mal'oon.I feel that this book is cursed.
- الكنز مَلْعُون منذ زمن طويل.Al-kanz mal'oon mundhu zaman tawil.The treasure has been cursed for a long time.
Example conversation
Layla and Youssef are exploring an old building.
- ليلى Laylaيوسف، لا تدخل، هذا الممر مَلْعُون!Youssef, la tadkhul, hadha al-mammar mal'un!Youssef, don't go in, this hallway is cursed!
- يوسف Youssefلا تصدقي هذه الخرافات يا ليلى.La tusaddiqi hadhihi al-khurafat ya Layla.Don't believe these myths, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaلكن الجميع يقول إنه مَلْعُون.Lakin al-jami' yaqul innahu mal'un.But everyone says it is cursed.
- يوسف Youssefأنا لست خائفاً من أي لعنة.Ana lastu kha'ifan min ayy la'na.I am not afraid of any curse.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cursed” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
