nakhla نخلة
Algerian Darja · noun
“nakhla” (نخلة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning date palm.
Meanings
- date palm
- palm tree (in general)
Usage
A common word, referring first of all to the date palm, emblematic of the Algerian South (Biskra, Ouargla, Touggourt…). The plural is "nkhel", and a palm grove is often called "ghaba ta3 nkhel" or "jnan". The word is also used for a decorative palm tree in town. In the South it is part of a whole specialized vocabulary (date varieties, bunches, fronds). One says "tla3 l'nakhla" for climbing the palm tree at harvest time. The pronunciation varies: "nakhla", "nekhla".
Example
جدي عندو نخلة قدام الدار تعطي دقلة نور
jeddi 3ando nakhla qoddam dar ta3ti deglet nour
“My grandfather has a palm tree in front of the house that gives deglet nour dates.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nakhla” but also “nekhla” and “n5la”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “nakhla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “date palm”; “palm tree (in general)”: nakhla in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “palm tree, date palm”: nakhla in Tunisian.