Arabic Words Everyone Uses in English: Habibi, Yalla, Wallah, Inshallah

The Arabic words you are most likely to hear in English are habibi ("my dear," also "buddy"), yalla ("let's go," "come on"), wallah ("I swear," literally "by God"), inshallah ("God willing"), mashallah (said in admiration), alhamdulillah ("thank God"), akhi ("my brother," like "bro"), khalas ("enough," "done") and yani ("I mean," "like"). Five of them are plain everyday words. Four mention God, and those carry more weight than their casual use suggests. This guide sorts them, gives each a usable English equivalent, and shows what to say back.

The nine words at a glance

A few habits of Arabic explain most of the spellings. The ending -i means "my," which is why habibi is "my beloved" and akhi is "my brother." Arabic also marks gender, so a woman is habibti and a sister is ukhti. And there is no single official way to write Arabic in Latin letters, so yalla, yallah and yala are all the same word.

The everyday five

These have no religious charge in daily use. Children say them to parents, shopkeepers say them to customers, and they slide into English sentences without anyone blinking.

Habibi: "my dear," and also "bro"

Habibi is a pet name with a wide range. Dictionary.com, which added a slang entry in March 2018, translates it as "my love," "my dear" or "my darling," and notes that between friends it can land closer to "bro" or "dude." In Lebanon, the same entry says, people use it to soften small talk with strangers, the way some Americans say "hon."

• To a partner: romantic. "Landed safe, habibi."
• To a child: tender, like "sweetie."
• Between friends, including two men: friendly, like "mate."

The feminine is habibti. In songs and in Levantine and Egyptian speech you will hear women called habibi too, but habibti is never said to a man. Drake's surprise album Habibti, released on May 15, 2026 alongside Iceman and Maid of Honour, sent a lot of English speakers to look the word up. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, according to Wikipedia.

Yalla: "come on, let's go"

Yalla gets people moving. The National describes it as a word of urgency, encouragement or impatience, and the tone tells you which. "Yalla, the taxi's here" is a nudge. "Yalla, yalla" is a hurry-up. In Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, "yalla bye" is how a lot of phone calls end. The word grew out of ya Allah, "O God," but nobody hears it as religious today, and Modern Hebrew borrowed it whole.

Khalas: "done," "enough," "that's it"

Khalas closes things. The National glosses it as "finished" and points out that it works two ways: said evenly, it settles a matter ("khalas, we'll meet at eight"); snapped, it means "stop." It is the word a parent uses at the end of a long argument, and the word a shopkeeper uses when you agree on a price.

Yani: "I mean," "like"

Yani literally means "it means," and it is the Arabic answer to the English filler "like." People use it while they think ("it was, yani, kind of long"), to rephrase ("yani, I'm not coming"), and as a lukewarm verdict: asked if they liked a film, someone who says "yani" with a shrug means "meh." Turkish, Persian and Urdu speakers use the same word, borrowed long ago.

Akhi: "my brother," like "bro"

Akhi is what one man calls another, related or not. Among Muslims it can mean any fellow Muslim man. In London and Toronto the shortened akh is slang for a brother or close friend: Wiktionary labels it Multicultural London English and Multicultural Toronto English, and Wikipedia's article on London's youth dialect lists akh among its words, "derived from the Arabic word for brother." The female form is ukhti, "my sister."

The four that mention God

Wallah, inshallah, mashallah and alhamdulillah all contain Allah, which is simply the Arabic word for God and is used by Arab Christians as well as Muslims. All four are said casually every day, but each began as a religious formula. Knowing which is which keeps you from saying the right word at the wrong moment.

Wallah: an oath, used like "I swear"

Wallah means "by God." It backs up a statement ("wallah, I didn't tell anyone"), adds emphasis ("wallah I'm exhausted"), or asks a question: "wallah?" is "seriously?" Wallahi is the fuller, slightly weightier form. Wiktionary records wallahi as slang in London and Toronto English, glossed "I swear to God," with the example "say wallahi bro." Middle East Eye reported in 2021 that London teenagers use it regardless of background.

The caution is real but small. Wallah calls God as witness, and swearing falsely by God is treated as a serious sin in Islam, so devout families may not love hearing it in every sentence. The National's advice is to save it for things you are actually sure of.

Inshallah: "God willing," about the future

Inshallah (literally "if God wills") goes on anything that has not happened yet: "see you tomorrow, inshallah." Susan Carland of Monash University, writing in The Conversation, traces it to Quran 18:23-24, which tells believers not to promise future actions without adding the phrase. She also notes that Arab Christians and non-religious people in Muslim-majority countries say it, and that colloquially it can be a polite "no."

That last sense is the one English speakers notice. When a parent answers "can we get a dog?" with a vague "inshallah," many children know what it means. Joe Biden used the word in exactly that skeptical sense in the September 2020 presidential debate, answering Donald Trump's promise to release his tax returns with "When? Inshallah?"

Mashallah: admiration, with protection built in

Mashallah means "what God has willed," and it is about something good that already exists: a new baby, a new job, a child's exam results. The National describes it as praise that also guards against envy, which is why people say it when complimenting children. It also warns against using it to boast about yourself.

Alhamdulillah: "thank God," and often "I'm fine"

Alhamdulillah means "praise be to God." It follows good news, a sneeze, a big meal, and the question "how are you?", where on its own it means "fine, thank God." Middle East Eye notes it can also mean "no more, thanks" when someone offers you a second helping. People say it after bad news too, as acceptance.

Inshallah, mashallah or alhamdulillah?

The quickest way to keep them apart is time.

The confusion is common enough to show up in search data. The National's July 2026 analysis found that Google searches for "mashallah vs inshallah" had risen about 1,800% over five years.

Other religious phrases you will hear

The last row is a good example of why context matters. The National points out that in everyday Levantine speech, "haram" can mean "poor thing" or "that's not fair," while in a religious discussion it is a firm statement that something is forbidden.

How these words got into English

Some of this is old. British troops posted in Egypt and the wider region brought back Arabic slang that still lives in British English. Linguist Peter Trudgill, writing in The New World in 2024, lists three:

• Shufti, "a look," as in "have a shufti." From the Arabic for "have you seen?", and recorded in English from the 1940s.
• Imshi, "go away," from the Arabic verb for walking, in print since 1916.
• Bint, from the Arabic for "girl" or "daughter." British English turned it into a dismissive word for a woman, so it is one to recognize rather than use.

The newer wave is different. It comes from Arabic-speaking and Muslim communities in London, Toronto, Stockholm and other cities, where friends of every background pick up wallah, akh and yalla from each other. Wiktionary records wallah as a general slang intensifier in Swedish, Danish and German as well.

Pop culture keeps adding fuel. Middle East Eye's 2021 roundup notes Drake saying inshallah on "Diplomatic Immunity" (2018) and wallahi on a "Sweeterman" remix, and Lindsay Lohan's 2017 Instagram caption "inshallah." In April 2026, a clip of Anne Hathaway saying inshallah naturally during a press interview for The Devil Wears Prada 2 went viral. The Conversation reported that Muslim and Arab responses were largely positive. Three months later, The National analyzed a large global news database and found that English-language news mentions of inshallah had tripled since 2017.

Arabic words and their English slang twins

Many of these words fill the same slot as an English slang term. If a teenager uses both, this is roughly how they map.

The twins are approximate. Nobody's grandmother says "ong," and plenty of grandmothers say wallah.

How to spell them in a text

Arabic speakers often text in Latin letters with numbers standing in for sounds English does not have. Wikipedia's article on the Arabic chat alphabet lists the common ones: 2 for the glottal stop, 3 for the throaty letter 'ayn, 7 for a breathy h, and 5 (or 7') for the kh sound. So you will see:

You may come across posts claiming that "inshallah" written as one word means something different from "in sha Allah." In practice, readers understand both the same way. The separated spelling is just closer to the Arabic.

Can you use them if you are not Arab or Muslim?

Generally, yes. Carland's view in The Conversation is that non-Muslims using these phrases is fine "when used correctly, warmly, and without disrespect," and the warm reception for Hathaway is a good example. What draws criticism is using them as a joke accent, a costume, or a way to mock the faith behind them.

A few practical rules, mostly drawn from The National's guide to commonly misused Arabic words:

• Keep habibi for people you are close to. Familiarity is not intimacy. Calling a manager or a new client habibi can come off as too much, and a man calling a woman he does not know habibti sounds like a stranger calling her "baby."
• Mean your inshallah. If you already know the answer is no, say so. A vague inshallah can feel like a dodge.
• Use wallah only when you are sure. Swearing by God about something trivial or false wears the word down.
• Go easy on yalla with people serving you. "Yalla, yalla" aimed at a waiter or driver sounds like snapping your fingers.
• Say mashallah about other people's blessings, not to show off your own.
• Watch your tone with khalas. A calm khalas settles a matter. A sharp one shuts someone down.

What to say back

If you are not sure which reply fits, a warm "thank you" or simply repeating the word back works almost every time.

Same words in Amman, Riyadh and Dubai

All nine words are understood across the Arab world, but the words around them change from place to place. In Jordan, "yalla bye" ends phone calls and "shu?" means "what?" In Riyadh, "wesh?" is the Najdi "what?" and "wesh as-salfa?" means "what's going on?" In the Gulf, "hala wallah" is a warm "welcome, great to see you," and Dubai's mix of nationalities means yalla and khalas turn up in the middle of English sentences at work.

For the local words that sit around these, see the city guides for Amman, Riyadh and Dubai, or the English guide to Jordanian, Saudi and Emirati Arabic phrases.

Printable cheat sheet

Everyday words (no religious weight)

• habibi / habibti (m / f): my dear; between friends, buddy
• yalla: let's go, come on, hurry up; in the Levant, "yalla bye" = bye
• khalas: done, enough, that's settled; said sharply, stop
• yani: I mean, like; with a shrug, meh
• akhi / ukhti: my brother / my sister; bro

Phrases that mention God

• wallah / wallahi: I swear (by God); "wallah?" = seriously?
• inshallah: God willing; future plans; sometimes a polite maybe
• mashallah: how wonderful; praise for something good that exists
• alhamdulillah: thank God; also "I'm fine" and "I'm full"
• bismillah: in the name of God; before eating or starting

Replies

• inshallah → inshallah, or ameen
• mashallah → thank you, or Allah ybarek feek / feeki
• as-salamu alaykum → wa alaykum as-salam
• alhamdulillah after a sneeze → yarhamuk Allah

Texting numbers: 3 = 'ayn, 7 = breathy h, 5 = kh, 2 = glottal stop

Key takeaways

• The Arabic words most used in English are habibi, yalla, wallah, inshallah, mashallah, alhamdulillah, akhi, khalas and yani.
• Habibi, yalla, khalas, yani and akhi are ordinary words with no religious weight in daily use.
• Wallah, inshallah, mashallah and alhamdulillah mention God. They are said casually, but they began as religious formulas and some families treat them that way.
• Inshallah is for the future, mashallah for good things that are here now, alhamdulillah for gratitude.
• Anyone can use them if they do it warmly and sincerely. Mockery and put-on accents are what offend.
• Repeating the word back is the safe reply to almost all of them.

FAQ

What is the most common Arabic slang word in English?

There is no official count, but inshallah is the best documented. The National's 2026 analysis found English-language news mentions had tripled since 2017. Among young people in cities like London and Toronto, wallah and akh are just as familiar, and Drake's 2026 album sent habibti into a lot of English feeds.

Is yalla Arabic or Hebrew?

Arabic. Modern Hebrew borrowed it, and Israelis use it in the same senses of "come on" and "let's go," so many people meet it through Hebrew first.

Do Arab Christians say inshallah and wallah?

Yes. Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, and Arabic-speaking Christians use it in the same everyday phrases. The Conversation notes that Arab Christians and non-religious people in Muslim-majority countries say inshallah too.

Is wallah a swear word?

Not in the English sense. It is an oath, closer to "I swear" or "honestly," and a teacher would not treat it as bad language. Some religious families dislike hearing it used carelessly, because it calls God as witness.

What is the difference between habibi and habibti?

Habibi is the masculine form and is also used casually for anyone. Habibti is the feminine form and is only said to a woman. Both mean "my dear" or "my love."

What does "say wallah" mean?

It means "are you serious?" or "swear it's true." Someone hearing surprising news asks the other person to back it up with an oath, the way an English speaker might say "swear?" or ask "fr?"