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Turkish · Insults

Salak

sah-LAHK · /saˈɫak/

Idiot / dummy

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Idiot / dimwit"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The workhorse mild insult — "salak" for a genuine idiot, "salak salak" (foolishly) as an adverb, "salağa yatmak" (to play dumb). Among friends it's practically affectionate ("seni salak, gel buraya"); to a stranger it's a jab. Bar-safe, not workplace-safe. "Aptal" is the close cousin.

Heard in the wild

Salak, kapıyı açık bırakmışsın!

You idiot, you left the door open!

Where it lands

Turkey-wide; universal

Quick answers

What does "Salak" mean?
In Turkish, "Salak" means "Idiot / dummy". Literally it's "Idiot / dimwit". The workhorse mild insult — "salak" for a genuine idiot, "salak salak" (foolishly) as an adverb, "salağa yatmak" (to play dumb). Among friends it's practically affectionate ("seni salak, gel buraya"); to a stranger it's a jab. Bar-safe, not workplace-safe. "Aptal" is the close cousin.
Is "Salak" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "Salak"?
Say it "sah-LAHK" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: saˈɫak.

Related in Turkish

Lan LAHN Man / dude / hey — a rough vocative that dials the whole sentence up or down Hadi be! hah-DEE BEH Get outta here! / No way! / Yeah right! Ayıp! ah-YUHP Shame on you! / That's not on! Aman! ah-MAHN Oh come on / whatever / good grief Siktir git! sik-TEER GEET Fuck off / piss off Aptal ap-TAHL Stupid / fool

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "You idiot".

how to say "You idiot" →

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