# כיפאק



## albondiga

Hi all,

Is the slang word *כיפאק* commonly used?  If so, can someone tell me more about how it is used?

Thanks!


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## cfu507

כיפאק הי!
Yes it is used, I belive more among kids and soldiers to encourage the group, like during competitions. 
The way we use it:
One guy says "kifak", the others say "hey", he says again "Kifak" they say again "hey", he says for the last time "kifak" and they say "hey, he, hey".
Actually, they don't say it they scream it.

I found some songs on the Net with "k*i*fak hey!" the songs are for encouragement.

Oh, there is also על הכיפאק wich means "great!" like "sabbaba" and it is pronounced differently: al ha'k*e*fak and not kifak like I said before.


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## Aoyama

> Oh, there is also על הכיפאק which means "great!" like "sabbaba" and it is pronounced differently: al ha'k*e*fak and not kifak like I said before.


It should be noted that the expression is originally from Arabic, not Hebrew.
Other variation : _kif'alak_ .
"Kif" is a wide spread Arabic word (you will find it up to Morocco) meaning "comfort, ease, something nice". French slang uses it too ... Like "cool" in English.


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## cfu507

_kif'alak_ or _kif'chalak?_ I only know kif'chalak and I think it means in Arabic "how are you". Doesn't it?


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## Aoyama

_kif'alak_ , alak as in alekha or lekha in Hebrew. The meaning is as you said but the literal translation is like "are you alright ?", like in French "ça va bien ?", _kif _being "ça va" ...
French slang uses "c'est le kif" (= it's cool, nice), maybe Hebrew would use "eze kif" ? Sorry, no Hebrew here.


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## albondiga

cfu507 said:


> כיפאק הי!
> Yes it is used, I belive more among kids and soldiers to encourage the group, like during competitions.
> The way we use it:
> One guy says "kifak", the others say "hey", he says again "Kifak" they say again "hey", he says for the last time "kifak" and they say "hey, he, hey".
> Actually, they don't say it they scream it.
> 
> I found some songs on the Net with "k*i*fak hey!" the songs are for encouragement.
> 
> Oh, there is also על הכיפאק wich means "great!" like "sabbaba" and it is pronounced differently: al ha'k*e*fak and not kifak like I said before.



Excellent, thanks! 



Aoyama said:


> _kif'alak_ , alak as in alekha or lekha in Hebrew. The meaning is as you said but the literal translation is like "are you alright ?", like in French "ça va bien ?", _kif _being "ça va" ...
> French slang uses "c'est le kif" (= it's cool, nice), maybe Hebrew would use "eze kif" ? Sorry, no Hebrew here.


 
It's _kef _in Hebrew (so, yes, _eze kef!_)


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## elroy

cfu507 said:


> Oh, there is also על הכיפאק wich means "great!" like "sabbaba" and it is pronounced differently: al ha'k*e*fak and not kifak like I said before.


 That reminds me of the Arabic expression على كيفك (_'ala kefak_), which means "as you like it" and is also used to mean "awesome," "first-rate," etc.





Aoyama said:


> It should be noted that the expression is originally from Arabic, not Hebrew.
> Other variation : _kif'alak_ .
> "Kif" is a wide spread Arabic word (you will find it up to Morocco) meaning "comfort, ease, something nice". French slang uses it too ... Like "cool" in English.





Aoyama said:


> _kif'alak_ , alak as in alekha or lekha in Hebrew. The meaning is as you said but the literal translation is like "are you alright ?", like in French "ça va bien ?", _kif _being "ça va" ...
> French slang uses "c'est le kif" (= it's cool, nice), maybe Hebrew would use "eze kif" ? Sorry, no Hebrew here.


 Not exactly, Aoyama. 

"Kif" means "how," not what you said. You were thinking of "kef," which is a completely different word.
"Kifak" literally means "How are you?" ("kif" = "how"; "-ak" = "you")
The alternative is "kif Halak," as cfu said (H represents the ח sound, which is pronounced "ch" by most speakers of Hebrew). It literally means "How is your condition?" ("kif" = "how"; "Hal" = "condition"; "-ak" = "your").

Both "kifak" and "kif Halak" are very commonly used to mean "How are you?". They are interchangeable.

"Kif'alak" does not exist.


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## Aoyama

_Mea magna culpa_ for confusing *kif* and* kef* (in Arabic, which sets us a bit off-topic here).
My excuse is that French uses kif for kef, either because of an erroneous vocalization or perhaps (more likely) because of the change in North African Arabic (Maghreban)... To be confirmed.
As for "kif *H*alak", true also, I had forgotten the H .


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## Aoyama

After some cheking, the phonetical difference between kef and kif (even if both words are different) may not be so clear -cut :
Kif = how (like in kif ahaluka),
Kef = ease, comfort, nice feeling 





> It's _kef _in Hebrew (so, yes, _eze kef!_)


but the word seems to come originally from _Turkish _(kif or kief) meaning " a state of inactivity, _farniente_". It is pronounced as kif in Maghreban, same as "kif" (how/same), cf. "kif-kif" in French slang.
This post involves French, Turkish and Arabic ... But still, refers to kifak ...


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