ra9i راقي
Algerian Darja · adjective
“ra9i” (راقي) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning high-quality, of a good standard.
Meanings
- high-quality, of a good standard
- refined, well-mannered
- chic, elegant
Usage
Ra9i comes from Standard Arabic but is widely used in Darja to praise the quality or standing of something or someone. Typical phrases are mustawa ra9i, "a good level", and contenu ra9i, "quality content", which are very frequent in comments. Applied to a person, it describes someone decent, polite and well-mannered. For a neighbourhood or a restaurant, it means "chic" or "upscale". The feminine is ra9ya. The register is rather complimentary and slightly formal.
Example
هاد الريستورون راقي بزاف
had restaurant ra9i bezzaf
“This restaurant is very chic.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ra9i” but also “raqi” and “raki”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “ra9i” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “chic, upscale”; “refined, distinguished (person, manners)”: ra9i in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “refined, distinguished”; “elegant, tasteful”: ra9i in Tunisian.