ktar كتر
Algerian Darja · adverb
“ktar” (كتر) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning more, to a greater extent.
Meanings
- more, to a greater extent
- has increased (verb kter)
Usage
Ktar (or kter) is used to express comparison of quantity. It is built with men: ktar men, "more than". Examples: ktar men alf, "more than a thousand", nhabbou ktar menek, "I like him more than you". The same word is also a verb: kter, "it increased, became numerous". Thus one says kter ettalaq, "divorces have increased". In online writing, one often finds kter or ktar with a t rather than th. To say "too much" or "a lot", Algerians use bezzaf.
Example
نحب الشتا كتر من الصيف
nhab chta ktar men sif
“I like winter more than summer.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ktar” but also “kter”, “kthar”, “akthar” and “ktr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ktar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “more”; “most (with the article)”: kter in Moroccan.