karitha كارثة
Algerian Darja · noun
“karitha” (كارثة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning catastrophe, disaster.
Meanings
- catastrophe, disaster
- something or someone awful, useless
Usage
Karitha means a catastrophe in the literal sense (earthquake, accident), but in darja it mainly serves as a casual, emphatic judgment: "it's awful", "it's a disaster". A performance, a pronunciation or an organization can be called karitha, and it can also be applied to people: karitha had ez-zouj, "those two are a disaster". The word comes from Standard Arabic, but it is fully integrated into everyday usage. The plural is kawarith. Depending on the speaker, the pronunciation ranges from karitha to karta. The tone is often exasperated or mocking.
Example
الماتش تاع البارح كان كارثة.
el match ta3 lbareh kan karitha.
“Yesterday's match was a disaster.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “karitha” but also “karita”, “kartha” and “karta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “karitha” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “catastrophe, disaster”; “dreadful thing or situation”: karita in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “disaster, catastrophe”; “terrible thing or person”: kartha in Tunisian.