lkhanz الخنز
Algerian Darja · noun
“lkhanz” (الخنز) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning stench, bad smell.
Meanings
- stench, bad smell
- filth, grime
- moral rot, baseness
Usage
El khanz first means a bad smell and, by extension, filth. It is very often used figuratively for decadence, corruption, or behavior considered unworthy. It is frequently paired with el khmaj ("filth"). The verb is khnez ("to stink") and the adjective is khanez ("stinking"). The register is informal, even contemptuous. Applied to a person, the word becomes an insult, to be avoided in polite company. For a simple unpleasant smell, ri7a khayba is more neutral.
Example
الزبل ما تنحاش والخنز في كل بلاصة
ezzbel ma tna7ach w el khanz f koul blasa
“The garbage hasn't been collected and there's a stench everywhere.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lkhanz” but also “khanz”, “elkhanz” and “alkhanz”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.