karama كرامة
Algerian Darja · noun
“karama” (كرامة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning dignity, honour.
Meanings
- dignity, honour
- generosity, hospitality
Usage
Karama first means dignity, self-respect: "nnes 3andha karama" (people have their dignity), "mass b karamti" (he offended my dignity). The word is common in talk about personal, national or collective honour. By extension, it is also used for generosity and a sense of welcome: saying of a people "nas karama" amounts to praising their hospitality. This word is shared with Standard Arabic, but it is fully current in everyday speech. It is often contrasted with "dhel" (humiliation).
Example
نخدم أي خدمة بصح كرامتي قبل كلش
nekhdem ay khedma bessah karamti 9bel kolch
“I'll do any job, but my dignity comes before everything.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “karama” but also “karrama”, “kerama” and “krama”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “karama” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “dignity, honour”; “miracle attributed to a saint”: karama in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “dignity, personal honour”; “self-respect, pride”: karama in Tunisian.