khan خان

Algerian Darja · verb

“khan” (خان) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to betray (someone, their trust).

Meanings

1. to betray (someone, their trust)
2. to fail, to let down

Usage

Khan, in the present ikhoun, means to betray. It is used for a friend, a spouse or a partner: "khanni", he betrayed me. The participle "khayen" applies to a disloyal or unfaithful person. By extension, the verb is used for something that lets someone down: "khanettou s7tou", his health failed him, or memory that fails. The register is common, often emotionally charged. Note: in writing, the same spelling also corresponds to the title "khan" in proper names, like Genghis Khan, which has nothing to do with this verb.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khan” but also “5an”, “khen” and “5en”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.

Type “khan” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to betray”; “to cheat on (in a couple)”: khan in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to betray (someone, one's country)”; “to cheat on (a partner)”: khan in Tunisian.