What does “kullish” mean in Iraqi Arabic?

حوار غيرة بين حبيبين باللهجة العراقية

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B2 Arabic listening practice · Levantine Arabic · Picked for people who know more

💡 Did you know?
كلش (kullish)
Iraqi Arabic intensifier
'Very, super, totally', an Iraqi-distinctive way to crank an adjective up

كلش (kullish) is the Iraqi Arabic intensifier for “very, super, totally.” Among Arabic dialects, every region picks its own intensifier, and kullish is one of the most reliable Iraqi tells. Levantine speakers say كتير (kteer), Egyptians say قوي/أوي (awi), Gulf speakers say وايد (wāyed), and Iraqis reach for kullish. It works like English “super” before an adjective: kullish zēn (“super good”).

This clip is a jealous-couple argument in Iraqi Arabic. One speaker says “عرفت علي وحدة كلش هذا” (“I learned Ali knows some girl, super”) and accuses him of posting her photos. Kullish sets the emotional pitch of the whole exchange.

From To↗ on YouTube.Watch original

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this B2 Arabic listening practice video?

78.9%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common Arabic words
Most of the words in this video are common Arabic words.

How common in Arabic

61.8%
Top 1,000
78.9%
Top 2,000
98.7%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken Arabic

93.2%
Top 1,000
100%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than B2. Here is what they mean.

تصيح
2×
Not in top 5,000
تطلعين
2×
Not in top 5,000
كلش
2×
Not in top 5,000
very
اتخبل
1×
Not in top 5,000
اروح
1×
Not in top 5,000
جدي جدا
1×
acting overly serious and strict

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

★Where you hear this
  • ▸In Iraqi family dramas on Al-Iraqiya and MBC Iraq
  • ▸In Iraqi diaspora podcasts and YouTube channels
  • ▸In Iraqi rap and trap music (Narcy, Yaseen Skeko)
  • ▸In Iraqi football fan broadcasts and post-match analysis
  • ▸In Iraqi WhatsApp voice notes between couples

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