Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| غَيْر مُطِيع | ḡayr muṭīʕ |
| شَقِيّ | šaqiyy |
| شِرِّير | širrīr |
| مُؤْذٍ | muʔḏin |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase غَيْر مُطِيع literally means 'not obedient'.
Which one should you use?
The terms carry different weights: شَقِيّ is used for a child being a bit naughty or mischievous in a playful way. In contrast, شِرِّير is much stronger and implies actual villainy, evil or being a truly wicked person. مُؤْذٍ is used to describe someone whose behavior is actually causing harm or pain, rather than just being disobedient.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can use شقي to convey the concept of being naughty. In Levantine Arabic, particularly in Lebanon and Jordan, the term مشاغب is used to describe someone as being naughty.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe a female child as naughty using the word شَقِيّ, you change the ending to شَقِيَّة. When referring to a group of people, the plural form of شَقِيّ is شَقِيِّين.
How do you pronounce it?
ḡayr muṭīʕ
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, calling a child شقي is actually a compliment. Instead of meaning they are behaving badly, it implies the child is clever, spirited, or full of life.
- While 'naughty' in English can be quite lighthearted, using the Arabic word شِرِّير to describe a child is a massive mistake. It is a heavy term reserved for actual cinematic villains or truly wicked characters in literature.
- The Arabic word مُؤْذٍ marks a serious linguistic boundary. Once a person's behavior shifts from mere disobedience to causing actual pain or distress, you must switch from 'naughty' terms to this word meaning 'harmful'.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “naughty” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
