Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| صَه | ṣah |
| اُسْكُت | uskut |
| اِخْرَس | iḵras |
These words are used as commands to tell someone to stop talking or to be quiet. The related verb كَمَّمَ الفَمَ is a transitive form meaning to stop a person from talking or to stop a person or thing from making noise.
Which one should you use?
صَه is a classical and more formal way to command silence. اُسْكُت is a standard, direct command that is less aggressive than vulgar options. اِخْرَس is a very rude and aggressive way to say "shut up", typically used during heated arguments.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can say اسكت انت to mean "you shut up" or اسكتي انتي to mean "you shut up". In Levantine Arabic, the word خلّصنا can be used informally to convey "enough" or "shut up".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the standard command اُسْكُت, use اُسْكُتِي to address a female and اُسْكُتُوا to address a group of people. When using the rude command اِخْرَس, use اِخْرَسِي to address a female.
How do you pronounce it?
ṣah
Did you know?
- While اُسْكُت is a common command for silence, the word صَه is a special type of noun called an 'اسم فعل' (noun-verb) that functions as a command without actually being a verb.
- The transitive verb كَمَّمَ الفَمَ for silencing someone shares a root with the word for 'sleeve' or 'cover', implying the act of physically covering the mouth.
- The word اِخْرَس is linguistically linked to the idea of being 'mute' or 'unable to speak', which is why it carries such a heavy, insulting weight.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Layla and Ahmed are studying in a library.
- ليلى Laylaأحمد، صَه من فضلك.Ahmed, sah min fadlik.Ahmed, shut up please.
- أحمد Ahmedأنا فقط أسأل سؤالاً.Ana faqat as'al su'alan.I am just asking a question.
- ليلى Laylaهذا المكان للمذاكرة فقط.Hadha al-makan lil-mudhakara faqat.This place is for studying only.
- أحمد Ahmedحسناً، سأصمت.Hasanan, sa-asmut.Okay, I will be quiet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shut up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
