9aseh قسح
Algerian Darja · adjective
“9aseh” (قسح) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning hard, firm, stiff.
Meanings
- hard, firm, stiff
- tough, sturdy
- stubborn, hard-headed
Usage
It is heard mainly in the adjective form 9aseh (feminine 9asha, plural 9ashin): stale bread, meat that won't cook, a mattress or a floor can all be 9aseh. Applied to a person, the word suggests physical toughness or hardness of character; rasou 9aseh means "he is stubborn". The verb 9sah means "to harden, become hard", and 9asseh means "to make hard". The register is common and informal. Note: this word does not mean "difficult" in the sense of an exam or a problem; for that, say s3ib.
Example
الخبز ولّى قاسح، ما ينّاكلش.
el khobz walla 9aseh, ma yennaklech.
“The bread has gone hard, we can't eat it.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9aseh” but also “qaseh”, “9ase7”, “gaseh” and “kaseh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9aseh” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to harden, make hard”; “to be stubborn (qsseḥ rasu)”: 9sse7 in Moroccan.