ras راس
Algerian Darja · noun
“ras” (راس) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning head.
Meanings
- head
- tip, beginning, end
- oneself (with possessive)
Usage
Ras first means the head: "ras-i ywja3ni" means "I have a headache". It appears in many fixed expressions. "Ras el 3am" is New Year, "ras el mal" is starting capital, "ras el 7anout" is a spice blend. The word also means the end or beginning of something: "ras ezzen9a" (the end of the street), "ras echhar" (the beginning of the month). With a possessive, it can work as a reflexive: "7di rasek" means "take care of yourself". The gloss "race" found in some sources is not a real meaning of the word.
Example
راسي يوجعني من الصباح.
rasi ywja3ni men sba7.
“I've had a headache since this morning.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ras” but also “rass”, “rasse” and “raas”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ras” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “head”; “end, tip, beginning”: ras in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “head”; “start, end, tip”: ras in Tunisian.