hlal حلال
Algerian Darja · adjective
“hlal” (حلال) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning lawful, permitted by religion.
Meanings
- lawful, permitted by religion
- honest, of good family (wlad lahlal)
- deserved, rightfully earned
Usage
Hlal refers to what is permitted by Islam, as opposed to hram. It is used mainly for meat (lham hlal) and for honestly earned money (drahem hlal). The expression wlad lahlal or bent lahlal describes honest, respectable people, with a nuance of good upbringing. Hlal 3lik means "you deserve it, it's rightfully yours". One also says hlal fik for a well-deserved compliment. In writing, the spelling halal is familiar thanks to French, but in speech it is often pronounced hlal, with no vowel after the h.
Example
اللحم هذا حلال ولا لا؟
lham hada hlal wela la?
“Is this meat halal or not?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hlal” but also “7lal”, “halal”, “7alal” and “hallal”. 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.
Type “hlal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “lawful, permitted by religion”; “honestly earned, legitimate”: 7lal in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “permitted, halal”; “well-deserved, rightfully earned”: 7lel in Tunisian.