jahannam جهنم
Algerian Darja · noun
“jahannam” (جهنم) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning hell (religious).
Meanings
- hell (religious)
- unbearable situation
Usage
Jahannam is the religious word for hell, as opposed to jenna (paradise). It is used mostly in religious discussions, warnings and pious formulas, often followed by wel-ʿiyadhou billah ("God protect us from it"). Figuratively, it can describe a miserable situation or oppressive heat, for example in "had es-skhana jahannam" (this heat is hell). The synonym ennar (the fire) is also found with the same meaning. The word is weighty and not at all casual: avoid using it lightly around devout people.
Example
اللي ياكل الحرام مصيرو جهنم.
elli yakoul l7aram masirou jahannam.
“Whoever lives off what is forbidden will end up in hell.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jahannam” but also “djahanam”, “jahanam”, “djahannam” and “jahenem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jahannam” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “hell (religious)”; “hell, unbearable situation or heat”: jahannam in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “hell (religious sense)”; “unbearable heat or situation”: jhannem in Tunisian.