سگ (Sag)
What does سگ (Sag) mean? سگ (Sag) is a Dari moderate that translates to “dog / lowlife” in English.
Literal Translation
dog
Meaning & Usage
"dog / lowlife"
The standalone insult. While 'sag' appears in dozens of compound insults (pedar sag, madar sag, tokhm-e sag), using it alone is a blunt, direct way to call someone subhuman. In Islam, dogs are ritually impure — their saliva nullifies ablution. So calling someone a dog is calling them spiritually contaminated.
Examples in the Wild
ای سگ، از خانه من برو بیرون. (Ay sag, az khana-ye man boro biroon. - You dog, get out of my house.) — Used during a serious argument.
When to Use It
Context
- Casual conversations with friends
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- Direct confrontation (use with caution)
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
Afghanistan has a complicated relationship with dogs. Street dogs are everywhere in Kabul but are treated as vermin, not pets. The Western concept of 'man's best friend' doesn't exist. When an Afghan elder calls someone 'sag', the comparison is to those feral, mangy street dogs — not a golden retriever. Younger diaspora Afghans who keep pet dogs find the insult less cutting, which frustrates their elders to no end.
More in Dari 🇦🇫
View all →خواهرتو گایدم (Khwahareto gaydam)
“I fucked your sister”
Declaring sexual intercourse with the target's sister.
لعنتی (Lanati)
“damn / goddamn / cursed”
Someone upon whom God's curse (la'nat) has fallen. In everyday use it functions exactly like the English 'damn' — versatile, moderate, and everywhere. 'In telefon-e lanati' (this damn phone) is something every Kabuli says daily. But in its religious sense, being cursed by God is eternal damnation.
بد کاره (Bad kara)
“whore / sex worker (euphemism)”
The Afghan euphemism for a sex worker — someone whose 'work' (kaar) is 'bad.' It's the word people use when they want to accuse a woman of prostitution without using the explicit 'jenda' (whore) or the formal 'fahisha.' The euphemistic nature actually makes it more common in everyday speech, because it's considered less vulgar to say.
دیوث (Dayus)
“cuck / shameless bastard”
A man who is indifferent to his wife's adultery, or actively pimps her out.
پفیوز (Pofyooz)
“limp dick / useless bastard”
An old word for a useless, pathetic man with no backbone.
تف به رویت (Tof ba royet)
“I spit in your face / you disgust me”
The verbal equivalent of spitting in someone's face — the ultimate gesture of contempt and disgust. In many cultures spitting expresses disgust, but in Afghan culture it's particularly loaded because the face (roo) represents honor, dignity, and public reputation. Spitting on someone's face destroys their roo permanently.
نامرد (Namard)
“coward / traitor / backstabber”
This is one of the most loaded words in Afghan masculinity. It doesn't just mean coward — it means someone who broke a promise, betrayed a trust, or abandoned someone in need. A namard is someone whose word means nothing. In a culture built on oral agreements and personal honor, this can end friendships and start blood feuds.
الاغ (Olagh)
“jackass / stubborn fool”
A second word for donkey — used interchangeably with 'khar' but with a slightly more literary, formal register. It's the donkey-insult you'd hear from an educated person rather than a street vendor. Same meaning: stupid, stubborn, and unable to learn. Afghan Dari borrowed 'olagh' from Turkish, while 'khar' is pure Persian.