Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| صَه | ṣah |
| اُسْكُت | uskut |
| اِخْرَس | iḵras |
These expressions are used to command someone to stop talking.
Which one should you use?
The forms vary significantly in intensity. صَه is a classical or formal way to command silence, similar to the English "hush" or "be quiet". اُسْكُت is a standard, direct command that can range from a firm instruction to a rude command depending on your tone. اِخْرَس is the most aggressive and insulting way to tell someone to shut up, typically used during heated arguments.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the equivalent for "shut up" is اسكت.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the neutral command اُسْكُت, change it to اُسْكُتِي when addressing a female and اُسْكُتُوا when addressing a group. When using the insulting command اِخْرَس, change it to اِخْرَسِي when addressing a female and اِخْرَسُوا when addressing a group.
How do you pronounce it?
ṣah
Did you know?
- Arabic has a specific grammatical category for sounds like صَه called 'اسم فعل أمر', which are nouns that function as imperative verbs.
- The classical command صَه is an onomatopoeic word, actually representing the sound of a 'shhh' gesture used to signal silence.
- The root of the word اِخْرَس is related to the concept of being 'mute' or 'speechless', implying that the person should lose their ability to speak entirely.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Nour and Ziad are arguing in a room.
- نور Nourصَه يا زياد، لقد سمعت كفايّة!Sah ya Ziyad, laqad sami'tu kifayah!Shut up Ziad, I have heard enough!
- زياد Ziadلماذا تطلبين مني ذلك؟Limadha tatlubina minni dhalik?Why are you asking me to do that?
- نور Nourلأن كلامك لا ينتهي.Li-anna kalamaka la yantahi.Because your talking never ends.
- زياد Ziadحسناً، سأسكت الآن.Hasanan, sa-askutu al-ana.Alright, I will be quiet now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shut up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
