3jib عجيب
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“3jib” (عجيب) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning strange, weird.
Meanings
- strange, weird
- amazing, incredible
- great, excellent (informal)
Usage
The adjective 3jib, also pronounced 3ajib, expresses astonishment. Depending on context, it means "weird" or "incredible". Its feminine is 3jiba and its plural is 3jab. At the start of a sentence, it often introduces a judgment: "3jib hadchi!" (that's weird!). In informal speech, especially among young people, it can also become an enthusiastic compliment, meaning "great": "lmatch kan 3jib". Intonation distinguishes surprise, criticism and admiration. Pitfall for an English speaker: the word is not always negative.
Example
عجيب هادش لي كاتڭول
3ajib hadche li katgoul
“That's weird, what you're saying.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3jib” but also “3ajib”, “3ajiib” and “3jiba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3jib” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “surprising, amazing”; “strange, weird”: 3djib in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “astonishing, strange”; “amazing, extraordinary”: 3jib in Tunisian.