dakhla دخلة
Algerian Darja · noun
“dakhla” (دخلة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning entrance (of a town, place).
Meanings
- entrance (of a town, place)
- arrival, way of entering
Usage
Dakhla first refers to the entrance of a town, a neighborhood or a road. It is often used to locate a place: "f dakhla ta3 el blad" (at the entrance of the town). The word can also refer to a striking arrival or to the way someone makes an entrance, for example an artist on stage or a player. It belongs to the everyday, colloquial register. It should not be confused with "dkhoul", which refers to the act of entering in general, such as the start of the school year. The plural is rare.
Example
نستناك في الدخلة تاع المدينة.
nestennak f dakhla ta3 lmdina.
“I'll wait for you at the entrance of the city.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dakhla” but also “da5la”, “dekhla” and “dkhla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “dakhla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “entrance, way into a place”; “right of entry, act of entering”: dkhla in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “entry, act of entering”; “striking arrival, appearance”: dakhla in Tunisian.