انا كويس.

A common pronunciation is ana kwayyis.

A rough guide for an English speaker is AH-na kwai-yis.

• انا = ana
• كويس = kwayyis or kuwayyis in some transliterations

You may see different Latin spellings because there is no single standard way to write Egyptian Arabic in English letters.

In Arabic, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So انا كويس literally looks like I fine, but it naturally means I am fine or I’m okay.

This is normal in both spoken Egyptian and Standard Arabic for present-tense sentences like this.

كويس is a very common Egyptian word meaning things like:

• good
• fine
• okay
• well

In this sentence, the most natural English meaning is usually I’m fine or I’m okay.

This is Egyptian Arabic.

A more Standard Arabic way to say I’m fine would often be أنا بخير.

So أنا كويس sounds colloquial and natural in Egyptian everyday speech.

You can often say just كويس in conversation, especially as a reply.

For example, if someone asks how you are, كويس by itself is very natural.

أنا كويس is also correct. It just makes the subject I explicit.

Yes. In Egyptian Arabic, adjectives usually agree with the speaker’s gender.

• Male speaker: أنا كويس
• Female speaker: أنا كويسة

So if a woman is saying I’m fine, she would normally say أنا كويسة.

In careful spelling, the standard form is أنا with a hamza.

But in casual writing, texting, and online chat, many people write انا without the hamza. It is still understood easily.

So:

• أنا = more careful spelling
• انا = very common casual spelling

Yes, very natural.

It is a common everyday response in Egyptian Arabic. You will also often hear longer replies such as:

• كويس الحمد لله
• أنا كويس الحمد لله

These mean I’m fine, thank God.

Use مش for negation.

• Male speaker: أنا مش كويس
• Female speaker: أنا مش كويسة

So مش is the word that makes the sentence negative here.

Usually, in normal conversation, أنا كويس is understood more as I’m fine / I’m okay than I’m morally good.

Context matters, of course, but if someone asks how you are, this sentence is about your condition, not your character.

The normal order is أنا كويس, or simply كويس.

Saying كويس أنا would sound unusual as a neutral sentence. It could sound marked or emphatic in a special context, but it is not the basic form learners should use first.

So the safest pattern is:

• أنا كويس
• or just كويس in conversation