mkan مكان
Algerian Darja · noun
“mkan” (مكان) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning place, location.
Meanings
- place, location
- spot, space
Usage
A masculine noun meaning a place. It is understood everywhere and used in expressions such as "f kol mkan" (everywhere) or "mkan chbab" (a beautiful place). In everyday speech, Algerians also use "blassa" a lot, an adapted borrowing from French "place", especially for a seat or a specific spot: "kayen blassa?". "Mkan" has a slightly more formal or general flavor. The plural is "amakin" or "mwaken". In pronunciation, the first vowel often drops: "mkan" rather than "makan".
Example
هاد المكان شباب بزاف
had lmkan chbab bezzaf
“This place is very beautiful.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mkan” but also “makan”, “mekan” and “mkane”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mkan” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “place, location”; “spot, room”: mkan in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “place, location”; “spot, position”: mkan in Tunisian.