كَذَبَ
kaḏaba
To lie in Arabic is to say كَذَبَ (kaḏaba). Wiktionary also lists كدب (kdəb) and كذّب (kazzab).
Meaning: tell an intentional untruth (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كَذَبَ | kaḏaba | |
| كدب | kdəb | Moroccan Arabic |
| كذّب | kazzab | South Levantine Arabic |
The verb refers to the act of telling an intentional untruth. Related nouns include كَذْبَة, كِذْبَة and كِذْب, which denote an intentionally false statement.
Which one should you use?
While كَذَبَ means to tell a lie, the intensive form كذّب often shifts the meaning to denying the truth of someone's statement or calling someone a liar.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Moroccan-Arabic, the form كدب is used instead of the Modern Standard Arabic كَذَبَ. In South-Levantine Arabic dialects, the form كذّب is used to mean lied or called a liar.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form كَذَبَ is the third-person masculine singular past tense, meaning 'he lied'. Its present tense form is يَكْذِبُ, meaning 'he lies' or 'he is lying'.
How do you pronounce it?
kaḏaba
Did you know?
- In Arabic, you can say كذبت عيني, which translates literally to 'my eye lied', to describe an optical illusion or when your eyes deceive you.
- Arabic distinguishes between 'lying' كَذَبَ and 'deception' through separate words. While lying is specifically about false speech, other terms for deception refer to trickery or manipulation without necessarily speaking.
- Arabic uses 'intensification' patterns in the word كذّب to flip the meaning from telling a lie to accusing someone else of lying, a grammatical shift not found in English.
Examples in context
- لا أحد يُحِبُّ الْكَذْبَNo one likes lies
- اتَّهَمَهُ بِالْبُهْتَانِHe accused him falsely
- يُجَنِّبُنَا الْبُهْتَانَKeep us away from false accusations
Example conversation
Sarah and Ahmed are discussing a missing book.
- سارة Saraأين الكتاب يا أحمد؟ayna al-kitab ya Ahmad?Where is the book, Ahmed?
- أحمد Ahmedلقد فقدته في المدرسة.laqad faqadtuhu fee al-madrasa.I lost it at school.
- سارة Saraأنا أعلم أنك كَذَبَتَ الآن.ana a'lamu annaka kadhabta al-aan.I know that you lied now.
- أحمد Ahmedأنا آسف، الكتاب في حقيبتي.ana aasif, al-kitab fee haqibati.I am sorry, the book is in my bag.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lie” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
