ghar غار
Algerian Darja · noun
“ghar” (غار) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning cave, cavern.
Meanings
- cave, cavern
- hole, hollow
Usage
Ghar refers to a cave or a cavity in rock, and more broadly a deep hole, such as a burrow. The plural is ghiran. The word appears in place names and in the religious expression ghar Hira. Frequent pitfalls in writing: ghar is also the verb "to be jealous" (ghar menni, he was jealous of me). It is also confused with ghir (only), often misspelled. Context makes it possible to tell them apart.
Example
دخلنا لغار في الجبل وكان بارد بزاف
dkhelna l ghar fel djbel w kan bared bezzaf
“We went into a cave in the mountain and it was very cold.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghar” but also “ghaar” and “rar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ghar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “cave, cavern”; “hole, hollow”: ghar in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “cave, cavern”; “hole, burrow”: ghar in Tunisian.