3aks عكس
Algerian Darja · noun
“3aks” (عكس) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning opposite, reverse.
Meanings
- opposite, reverse
- unlike, contrary to
Usage
3aks refers to the opposite of something: l3aks, "it's the opposite". The expression bel3aks is very frequent and means "on the contrary, not at all": bel3aks, rani farhan ("on the contrary, I'm happy"). With 3la, 3la 3aks is rendered as "unlike". It is often used to qualify or refute what the other person has just said. The word also exists in Standard Arabic, but these expressions are very common in spoken Algerian.
Example
بالعكس، هو اللي غلط ماشي أنا
bel3aks, howa li ghlet machi ana
“On the contrary, he's the one who got it wrong, not me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3aks” but also “3eks”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3aks” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “the opposite, the reverse”; “to reflect, reverse (verb 3kes)”: 3eks in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “opposite, reverse”; “backwards, the wrong way”: 3aks in Tunisian.