ki rak كي راك
Algerian Darja · expression
“ki rak” (كي راك) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning how are you?.
Meanings
- how are you?
- how's it going?
Usage
Kirak is the most typical greeting formula of Algeria. It is heard throughout the country, and not only in the West as the reference definition claims. It is made up of ki ("how") and rak ("you are"), and agrees with the person addressed: kiraki for a woman, kirakom for several people. To speak about a third person, one says kirah (him) or kiraha (her). The usual replies are labas, hamdoullah or bekhir. The formula is often followed by labas? or wach rak?. It is familiar, but suits almost all situations.
Example
صباح الخير خويا، كي راك؟
sba7 lkhir khouya, kirak?
“Good morning, my brother, how are you?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “ki rak”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.