kif kif كيف كيف
Algerian Darja · expression
“kif kif” (كيف كيف) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning the same, alike.
Meanings
- the same, alike
- I don't mind, it's all the same to me
- together, on equal terms
Usage
Kif kif is used to state equality or equivalence: houma kif kif (they are the same). With a pronoun, kif kif 3liya means "I don't mind, whatever". It is also used for an equal split or a draw. The expression has passed as is into colloquial French ("c'est kif-kif"), with the same meaning. It belongs to an informal register but is not vulgar. It can be invariable or followed by a complement introduced by m3a (with).
Example
روح ولا قعد، كيف كيف عليا
rouh wella g3ed, kif kif 3liya
“Go or stay, it's all the same to me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kif kif” but also “kef kef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kif kif” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “the same, the same thing”; “in the same way”: kif kif in Tunisian.