cherchar شرشار
Algerian Darja · noun
“cherchar” (شرشار) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning waterfall, cascade.
Meanings
- waterfall, cascade
- stream of falling water
Usage
Cherchar means a natural waterfall, small or large, in the mountains or in a wadi. It is used mostly for outings in nature: in summer people go "l cherchar" to swim or have a picnic. The word also appears in place names, which can be confusing: depending on the context, it means any waterfall or a specific site. The register is everyday and colloquial. For an artificial installation, such as a fountain, other terms are used instead. The most commonly heard plural is charachir.
Example
روحنا للشرشار وعمنا تما
rohna l cherchar w 3omna temma
“We went to the waterfall and swam there.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “cherchar” but also “charchar”, “chorchar” and “cherchare”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.