شو هذا
shū hādhā
The English phrase "wtf" can be expressed in Arabic as شو هذا (shū hādhā).
In many Arabic dialects, شو هذا is used to express shock, confusion or annoyance, similar to the English 'what the fuck' or 'what is this?'
Meaning: What the fuck (phrase)
How do you pronounce it?
shū hādhā
Did you know?
- Arabic has no single swear word that maps exactly to 'fuck', so phrases like شو هذا rely on tone and context to convey the intensity of the English 'wtf'.
- Depending on the region, a speaker might pair شو هذا with a specific hand gesture, such as bringing the fingertips together and moving the hand up and down, to emphasize their disbelief.
- The word هذا is a cognate with the Hebrew word הזה and the ancient Phoenician word 𐤄𐤆𐤄, showing a shared ancestral root for the word 'this' across these languages.
Examples in context
- شو هذا العبث؟shu hada al-'abas?What the fuck is this nonsense?
Example conversation
Mariam sees a huge mess in the kitchen created by Omar.
- مريم Maryamعمر، شو هذا في المطبخ؟Omar, shu hadha fil-matbakh?Omar, WTF is this in the kitchen?
- عمر Omarكنت أحاول أطبخ شيء جديد.Kunt ahawel atbukh shay' jadeed.I was trying to cook something new.
- مريم Maryamلكن المكان صار كارثة!Lakin al-makan sar karitha!But the place has become a disaster!
- عمر Omarسأنظف كل شيء الآن، آسف.Sa-unadhif kull shay' al-aan, asif.I will clean everything now, sorry.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries هذا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
