وحش
wiḥishto a man or about a thing, Egyptian
In Egyptian Arabic "ugly" is وحش (wiḥish) for a masculine thing and وحشة (wiḥsha) for a feminine one. The plural is وحشين (wiḥshīn). It is also called قبيح (ʾabīḥ).
Meaning: ugly (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| وحش | wiḥish | to a man or about a thing, Egyptian |
| وحشة | wiḥsha | to a woman or about a feminine thing, Egyptian |
| قبيح | ʾabīḥ | Standard Arabic, formal |
The word is also the usual way to say "bad", as in الأكل وحش (el-akl wiḥish), "the food is bad". Context tells you which meaning is meant.
Which one should you use?
The Standard Arabic word قبيح (ʾabīḥ) is understood but sounds bookish in conversation.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Calling a person وحش (wiḥish) is blunt and can be offensive. To say something is not nice, many Egyptians say مش حلو (mish ḥilw), "not nice".
Did you know?
- The word وحشتني (waḥashtīni), "I miss you", comes from the same root as وحش (wiḥish), though the meanings are far apart.
Examples in context
- المنظر ده وحش.el-manẓar da wiḥish.This view is ugly.
- الفستان ده وحش عليكي.el-fustān da wiḥish ʿalēki.This dress looks bad on you.
- الجو وحش النهارده.el-gaw wiḥish en-naharda.The weather is bad today.
Example conversation
Salma and her friend Dina look at curtains in a shop in Maadi.
- Salmaإيه رأيك في الستارة دي؟ēh rayyik fi s-sitāra di?What do you think of this curtain?
- Dinaلونها وحش شوية.lōnha wiḥish shuwayya.Its color is a bit ugly.
- Salmaعندك حق، هنشوف غيرها.ʿandik ḥaʾʾ, hanshūf ghēraha.You are right, we will look at others.
