9ech قش
Algerian Darja · noun
“9ech” (قش) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning clothes.
Meanings
- clothes
- belongings, personal effects
- bedding, furniture
Usage
9ech refers to clothes and, more broadly, a person's personal belongings. It is a collective word, very often used with a possessive: 9echi (my clothes), 9echek (your things). The sense of clothes is particularly clear in the Constantine region. It is also heard for household linen or furniture, for example during a move. The register is everyday and informal. Beware: in Standard Arabic, the same word means "straw", so texts written in Classical Arabic can be misread.
Example
لمّ قشك وأرواح نروحو
lem 9echek w arwa7 nrou7ou
“Gather your things and come on, we're leaving.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ech” but also “9ach”, “qech”, “9echi” and “gech”. 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.