9azan قازان
Algerian Darja · noun
“9azan” (قازان) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning large pot, cauldron.
Meanings
- large pot, cauldron
- something huge
Usage
Qazan refers to a very large pot or cauldron, like those brought out for festivals, weddings or big gatherings around the table. The word is of Turkish origin. By extension, it is used figuratively for something enormous or a large quantity. It is mostly familiar and domestic. For an ordinary saucepan, people rather say tandjra or qedra. Qazan implies a large container.
Example
طيبو الكسكسي في القازان للعرس
taybou el kousksi f el 9azan l el 3ors
“They cooked the couscous in the big cauldron for the wedding.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9azan” but also “qazan”, “gazan” and “kazan”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.