kherraz خراز
Algerian Darja · noun
“kherraz” (خراز) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning cobbler, shoe repairer.
Meanings
- cobbler, shoe repairer
- craftsman who stitches leather
Usage
Kherraz refers to the craftsman who sews and repairs shoes and leather goods. The word comes from the verb kherrez, "to sew leather". It is used mostly for the neighbourhood cobbler, the one you bring a loose sole or a sandal needing re-stitching to. It remains alive in towns with a craft tradition, but young people also often say cordonnier, in French. The trade is called san3et el kherraz. Do not confuse it with kherraz in the sense of bead seller, which is not meant here. It is a neutral trade name, with no pejorative connotation.
Example
ديت الصباط للخراز باش يخيطلي الصمطة.
dit sabbat lel kherraz bach ykhayetli semta.
“I took the shoe to the cobbler so he could re-stitch the sole.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kherraz” but also “5erraz”, “kharraz” and “khrraz”. 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 “kherraz” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “cobbler, shoe repairer”; “maker of traditional slippers”: kherraz in Moroccan.