okht اخت
Algerian Darja · noun
“okht” (اخت) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning sister.
Meanings
- sister
- form of address to a woman
Usage
In darja, the word appears mostly with a possessive: khti, "my sister", khtek, "your sister", khtou, "his sister". The form okht, without a possessive, is more formal or seen in writing. Like khouya for a man, khti is commonly used to politely address a woman you don't know, online or in the street. This respectful form implies no family tie. The plural is khawatat. Note that khti, addressed to a stranger, is better rendered as "ma'am" or "miss" than as "my sister".
Example
هادي ختي الصغيرة
hadi khti sghira
“This is my little sister.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “okht” but also “khti”, “o5t”, “ukht” and “kht”. 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 “okht” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “sister”: okht in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “sister”; “female friend, comrade (affectionate address)”: o5t in Tunisian.