bouhamroun بوحمرون
Algerian Darja · noun
“bouhamroun” (بوحمرون) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning measles.
Meanings
- measles
- rubella, similar rash
Usage
Bouhamroun is the common name for measles in Algeria. It is used in daily life as well as in the media, notably during vaccination campaigns or outbreaks. The name evokes the red patches on the skin. In popular usage, it can also refer to other childhood diseases with a rash, such as rubella. Doctors, however, distinguish between these diseases. People say "mrid b bouhamroun", "sick with measles". They also say "jah bouhamroun", literally "measles came to him".
Example
الطفل راهو مريض ببوحمرون
ettfel rahou mrid b bouhamroun
“The child has measles.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bouhamroun” but also “bo7amron”, “bou7amroun” and “bouhamron”. 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.