bakou باكو
Algerian Darja · noun
“bakou” (باكو) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning pack, packet (especially cigarettes).
Meanings
- pack, packet (especially cigarettes)
- box, packaging of a product
Usage
Bakou is an adapted borrowing from French "paquet", very common in everyday speech. It is used mostly for a pack of cigarettes (bakou garro), but also for a box of medicine, a juice carton or a packet of biscuits. It is often constructed with a direct complement or with ta3: bakou ta3 l'7lib. Informal and neutral register, understood everywhere. Beware of the homograph Bakou, the capital of Azerbaijan, which also appears in online comments. In a text, context tells them apart.
Example
جيبلي باكو قارو من الحانوت
jibli bakou garro mel 7anout
“Bring me a pack of cigarettes from the grocery store.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bakou” but also “bako”, “paquo”, “bakko” and “pako”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.