chmal شمال
Algerian Darja · noun
“chmal” (شمال) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning north.
Meanings
- north
- the north of the country
Usage
Chmal means the cardinal point north and, by extension, the north of the country, as opposed to the South (sahra or janoub). It is used notably in chmal Ifriqya, "North Africa", or fel chmal, "in the North". The word is shared with Standard Arabic, but it is in common use in Algeria, especially for geography and weather. Algerians readily speak of the north and the south of the country as two distinct realities: climate, fruit, way of life. For "left", one rather says lisser or lissar.
Example
في الشمال الجو بارد بزاف في الشتا.
fel chmal ej-jaw bared bezzaf fech-chta.
“In the north, it's very cold in winter.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chmal” but also “chamal”, “shmal” and “chmel”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chmal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “north”; “northern Morocco”: chamal in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “north (cardinal direction)”; “the North (region of Tunisia)”: chmel in Tunisian.