tchina تشينا
Algerian Darja · noun
“tchina” (تشينا) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning orange (the fruit).
Meanings
- orange (the fruit)
- oranges, citrus fruit (collective)
- orange tree (by extension)
Usage
Tchina is the common word for orange in much of Algeria, notably in Algiers and the Centre. It is often used as a collective ("oranges"); for a single fruit, say habbet tchina, literally "a grain of orange", as with many fruits in darja. Orange juice is 3assir tchina. Depending on the region, you also hear lchina or bortgan. The word is informal but neutral, used at the market as well as at home. Note that for an English speaker, the resemblance to "China" has nothing to do with the usage: it really is the fruit.
Example
جيبلي كيلو تشينا من السوق.
jibli kilo tchina mel souq.
“Bring me a kilo of oranges from the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tchina” but also “tchinaa”, “tshina”, “tchine” and “tchinna”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find تشينا and تشينة, all the same word.