Arabic vocabulary
أَسَفregret in Arabic
أَسَف is how you say “regret” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ا س ف (ʾ-s-f)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar)Pronounced asaf
Meaning of regret in Arabic
- grief, sorrow, or regret — especially intense regret for something that has escaped or been lost
- anger, especially intense anger — some say the same feeling turns to anger when directed at an inferior, and to grief when directed at a superior
Appears in the Qur'an: 18:5 has أَسَفًا, glossed by commentators as grief (or, some say, anger); and 12:84 has يَا أَسَفَا عَلَى يُوسُفِ, Jacob's cry of grief for Joseph. The word can carry either sense — grief or anger — depending on context.
Words from the same root
- أَسِفَform I verb: he grieved, lamented, or regretted; or he was angry
- آسَفَform IV: he angered him, or he grieved him (causative)
- تَأَسَّفَform V: he grieved or lamented intensely
- أَسِفٌangry, or exceedingly angry
- أَسِيفٌgrieving intensely, quick to grieve, tender-hearted; also: a slave, hired man, or captive
- أَسَافَةٌexcessive grief, or excessive anger
- إِسَافٌname of an idol once worshipped by the Kureysh
Common questions
- How do you say "regret" in Arabic?
- أَسَف (asaf).
- Does أسف mean grief or anger?
- Both are attested: it usually means intense grief or regret for something lost, but it can also mean anger, particularly when directed at someone of higher standing.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
ويرسلها مع أنفاس الأسف حتى جاءه توقيع فتاب عليه
And he sent them with sighs of regret until a decree came to him, and He accepted his repentance.
الأَسَفِ — of regret. al- = 'the'; asaf means 'regret, sorrow' — the 'of…' word: 'of regret'.
From: Adam's Descent →وَمِنْه قَوْله تَعَالَى يُوسُف فَتَوَلّى عَنْهُم وَقَالَ يَا أسفي على يُوسُف وابيضت عَيناهُ من الْحزن فَهُوَ كظيم
And from this is His saying in Surah Yusuf: 'So he turned away from them and said, "Oh, my grief over Yusuf!" And his eyes turned white from sadness, for he was suppressing it.'
أَسَفَى — my sorrow. A noun, 'my grief', with a 'my' fused onto its end (the special lament form). It is the thing exclaimed over; the attached 'my' makes the sorrow personal, 'oh my grief'.
From: Patience in Hard Times →
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