سَارِق
sāriqmasculine
The Arabic word for gangster is سَارِق (sāriq). Wiktionary also lists عُضْو فِي عِصَابَة (ʕuḍw fī ʕiṣāba) and قاطِع الطَّرِيق (qāṭiʕ aṭ-ṭarīq).
Meaning: street gang member (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| سَارِق | sāriq | masculine |
| عُضْو فِي عِصَابَة | ʕuḍw fī ʕiṣāba | masculine |
| قاطِع الطَّرِيق | qāṭiʕ aṭ-ṭarīq | masculine |
| رَجُل الْعِصَابَة | rajul al-ʕiṣāba | masculine |
While سَارِق is listed as a default, it specifically means 'thief' rather than a member of an organized criminal gang.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase عُضْو فِي عِصَابَة literally translates to member in a gang.
Which one should you use?
سَارِق refers specifically to a thief. For the concept of a gang member, you may use عُضْو فِي عِصَابَة, قاطِع الطَّرِيق or رَجُل الْعِصَابَة.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can use بلطجي to refer to a street thug or a tough person associated with criminal activities.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
sāriq
Did you know?
- The word عِصَابَة (gang) shares a linguistic root with the word for 'headband' or 'bandage', reflecting the idea of something that binds a group together.
- In Egypt, the word بلطجي is derived from بلطة, which means 'axe'. It originally referred to someone who used an axe to intimidate others.
- The phrase قاطِع الطَّرِيق literally means 'the one who cuts the road', a much more descriptive way of saying 'highwayman' than the English equivalent.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gangster” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
