Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| طَيِّب | ṭayyib | ||
| حَسَنًا | ḥasanan | ||
| أوكي | ōkē | Egyptian Arabic | |
| قشطة | ʔišṭa | /qiʃ.tˤa/ | Egyptian Arabic |
| بسيدر | besēder | South Levantine Arabic |
The various forms of 'ok' in Arabic are used for acknowledgement, acceptance or to indicate that something is in order. While some forms like موافق specifically mean 'agreed' or 'approved' to convey formal consent, others like طَيِّب serve as general acknowledgements. In computing, موافق is used to indicate the activation of an 'OK' button.
What does it mean word for word?
The word طَيِّب literally means 'good' or 'kind' but is commonly used to mean 'okay' or 'alright'.
Which one should you use?
طَيِّب is a general acknowledgement, whereas موافق specifically means 'I agree' or 'I approve' and is used when expressing formal consent. In formal settings, حَسَنًا can mean 'okay' or 'well' and جيد can be used to indicate approval or confirmation, though it primarily means 'good'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, use حَسَنًا to say 'okay' or 'well' or موافق to express agreement. In informal or casual conversations, you can use تمام for 'OK', مظبوط to indicate that everything is in order or على كيفك to mean 'as you wish'. The word يلا is also used informally to mean 'let's go' or 'let's do it', which can imply agreement. In Egypt, the slang term قشطة is used to mean 'okay', 'cool' or 'great'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you may encounter the transliterated English word أوكي (ōkē), the slang term قشطة (meaning 'cream') or the phrase تمام الحمدلله to mean 'OK, thanks to God'. In South Levantine Arabic, the word بسيدر (besēder) is used. Additionally, in Egypt, the word قشطة is used colloquially to mean 'okay'.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ṭayyib
Did you know?
- In Egypt, if you say قشطة (qishta) to agree to a plan, you are literally saying 'cream'.
- When acknowledging something in Egypt, people often say تمام الحمدلله (tamam alhamdulillah), which adds 'thanks to God' to a simple 'OK'.
- In some South Levantine dialects, the word بسيدر (beseder) acts as a colloquial 'OK', which behaves differently than the standard formal options.
Examples in context
- طَيِّب، سَأفْعَلُ ذَلِك.tayyib, sa'af'alu dhalik.Ok, I will do that.
- طَيِّب، نَلْتَقِي غَدًا.tayyib, naltaqi ghadan.Ok, we meet tomorrow.
- طَيِّب، فَهِمْتُ المَوْضُوعَ.tayyib, fahimtu al-mawdou'.Ok, I understood the matter.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Sarah are discussing their plans for the afternoon.
- أحمد Ahmedهَلْ يُمْكِنُكِ مُسَاعَدَتِي فِي هَذَا؟hal yumkinuki musaadati fi hadha?Can you help me with this?
- سارة Saraطَيِّب، سَأُسَاعِدُكَ يَا أَحْمَدُ.tayyib, sa'usa'iduka ya Ahmad.Ok, I will help you, Ahmed.
- أحمد Ahmedشُكْرًا لَكِ يَا سَارَةُ.shukran laki ya Sarah.Thank you, Sarah.
- سارة Saraلَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِبٍ.la shukra 'ala wajib.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ok” translations and entries قشطة, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
