Arabic vocabulary
سُوءٌbad in Arabic
سُوءٌ is how you say “bad” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root س و أ (s-w-ʾ)noun (substantive / verbal noun of سَآءَ "to be evil" and سَآءَهُ "to harm/grieve him")Pronounced sūʾ
Meaning of bad in Arabic
- evil, harm, injury done to someone — Used as the noun for what one causes another to suffer, from سَآءَهُ 'he did evil to him, displeased, grieved, or vexed him' (opposite of سَرَّهُ, 'he pleased him').
- badness, evilness, foulness (as a quality) — Tied to the intransitive sense of سَآءَ, 'it was, or became, evil, bad, abominable, foul, unseemly, or ugly.'
Sūʾ and its kin describe both a quality (something being bad or unseemly) and an action (harming, grieving, or displeasing someone). The Qur'anic phrase سَآءَ سَبِيلًا, "evil is it as a way," shows the root condemning a course of action, while everyday phrases like سُؤْتُ بِهِ ظَنًّا, "I held an evil opinion of him," show it applied to judgment and feeling.
Words from the same root
- سَآءَto be/become evil, bad, foul, ugly; also (transitively) to harm, grieve, or vex someone
- أَسَآءَto do evil, act badly, or do something poorly — opposite of أَحْسَنَ, 'to do good'
- سوّأto tell someone 'you did wrong'; to discommend a deed, or to corrupt/mar something
- استآءto experience evil, displeasure, grief, or anxiety
- مَسَآءَةٌharm, injury, or grief caused to someone (a noun form of سَآءَهُ)
- سَوْءٌevil, badness — the basic verbal noun of سَآءَ
Common questions
- How do you say "bad" in Arabic?
- سُوءٌ (sūʾ) — used as a noun for evil, harm, or badness.
- What is the root of سُوءٌ and what other words share it?
- The root is س و أ (s-w-ʾ), shared with سَآءَ ('to be/become evil'), أَسَآءَ ('to do evil, act badly'), and مَسَآءَةٌ ('harm, injury caused').
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
والابتلاء بقرناء السوء الَّذين يفسدون الْقلب ويضيعون الْوَقْت
And the trial of bad companions who corrupt the heart and waste time.
السُّوءِ — bad. al- = 'the'; su means 'evil, bad'; joined to the previous word as an 'of…' phrase ('companions of evil' = bad companions).
From: Returning to God →والحور الْعين يعجبن من سوء اختيارك عَلَيْهِنَّ
And the wide-eyed maidens wonder at your poor choice over them.
سُوءِ — poor. 'Badness / poorness', first term of an 'of' pairing — 'the badness of your choice' — genitive after 'at'. It owns the noun that follows.
From: Overcoming Desire →ولا ترجع إلى أرضك فإنها أرض سوءٍ،
Related words
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like سُوءٌ through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app