jazayri جزايري
Algerian Darja · adjective
“jazayri” (جزايري) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning Algerian.
Meanings
- Algerian
- an Algerian
Usage
Adjective and noun of nationality, formed from Djazayer (Algeria). It is jazayriya in the feminine and jazayriyin in the plural. It is used both as an adjective (lmakla jazayriya, Algerian cuisine) and as a noun (houwa jazayri, he is Algerian). In everyday speech, many people also say dziri, especially when talking about the dialect or what is typically Algerian. Both are neutral. In Algeria the word carries no pejorative connotation: it is the normal term for referring to oneself.
Example
صاحبي جزايري بصح يسكن في كندا
sa7bi jazayri bessa7 yaskon f canada
“My friend is Algerian, but he lives in Canada.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jazayri” but also “djazayri”, “jazairi” and “djazairi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.