ma3na معنى
Algerian Darja · noun
“ma3na” (معنى) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning meaning, sense.
Meanings
- meaning, sense
- value, importance
Usage
Ma3na refers to the meaning of a word or sentence, but also to the value one gives to something: "3andha ma3na kbir" ("it matters a lot"). It is often heard in "wesh ma3natha ?" ("what does it mean?"). The fixed expression "b koul ma3na el kelma" ("in the full sense of the word") comes from Standard Arabic and is used to reinforce a compliment. With a suffix, ma3naha or ma3natha is also used as a connector: "it means that, so". The word is neutral and used in all registers.
Example
واش معنى هاد الكلمة؟
wesh ma3na had el kelma?
“What does this word mean?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma3na” but also “maana”, “m3na” and “maena”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “ma3na” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “meaning, sense”; “point, purpose”: ma3na in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “meaning, sense”; “ma3neha: that means”: ma3na in Tunisian.