na3na3 نعنع
Algerian Darja · noun
“na3na3” (نعنع) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning mint.
Meanings
- mint
Usage
Na3na3 means mint, especially the fresh mint sold in bunches at the market. It is used above all for tea: "latay b na3na3", mint tea. It is also put in some salads or dried for the winter. The word is invariable in common usage; for a bunch, you say "rabta ta3 na3na3". Note: the definition provided by the source (meaning chocolate or a sweet) belongs to another dialect and does not match Algerian usage. Just remember that na3na3 is the ordinary word for mint.
Example
زيد شوية نعناع في التاي
zid chwiya na3na3 fi latay
“Add a little mint to the tea.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “na3na3” but also “na3ne3” and “na'ana'a”. 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.