“kick” in Arabic dialects
nounverb
How do you say kick across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare kick (noun, verb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “kick” mean?
noun
- The act of delivering a blow with the foot“he gave the ball a powerful kick”
- The swift release of a store of affective force“they got a great bang out of it”
- The backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
verb
- Drive or propel with the foot
- Thrash about or strike out with the feet
- Strike with the foot“The boy kicked the dog”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (kick) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | شوطة | shōṭa |
| Levantine Arabic | شلوط | shallūṭ |
| Gulf Arabic | رَفْسَة | rafsa |
| Iraqi Arabic | ركلة | rakla |
| Maghrebi Arabic | ركلة | rakla |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| شوطة | shōṭa | a kick, especially in sports |
| شلوط | shallūṭ | a strong or aggressive kick |
| ركلة | rakla | a formal term for a kick |
| يشوط | yeshūṭ | to kick a ball |
| يرفس | yorfos | to kick a person or animal |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| شلوط | shallūṭ | a kick (informal, strong) |
| رفسة | rafse | a kick, as from a person or animal |
| شاط (shāṭ) / بيشوط | byishūṭ | to kick a ball |
| رفس (rafas) / بيرفس | byirfus | to kick aggressively (a person or animal) |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| رَفْسَة | rafsa | a kick with the foot |
| شُوتَة | shūta | a kick in sports (loanword) |
| يْشوت | yishūt | to kick (especially a ball) |
| يِرْفِس | yirfis | to kick (a person or animal) |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| ركلة | rakla | a kick with the foot |
| شوتة | shuta | a kick in football (from 'shoot') |
| رفسة | rafsa | a hard kick, a boot |
| يرفس | yirfus | to strike someone or something with the foot |
| يشوت | yshūt | to kick a ball in a game like football |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| ركلة | rakla | a kick |
| ضربة بالرجل | ḍarba b-rjel | a strike with the foot, a kick |
| ضرب برجل | ḍreb b-rejl | to strike with the foot |
| شات | shat | to kick a ball (from 'shoot') |
| رفس | rfes | to kick hard (like a donkey) |
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