3ma عمى
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“3ma” (عمى) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning blind.
Meanings
- blind
- unable to see the obvious
Usage
3ma means "blind". The feminine is 3amya and the plural is 3omyan. It is used literally, but also figuratively, often in a teasing or irritated tone: "wach nta 3ma ?", "are you blind or what?", said to someone who doesn't see what is right in front of them. The same word also means blindness (l3ma). To speak about a blind person more respectfully, people readily use a polite form or a circumlocution. The word can therefore sound blunt depending on the context: use it with tact.
Example
نتا راه شبه عمى.
nta rah chibh 3ma.
“You're practically blind.”
Forms
| feminine | 3mia |
|---|---|
| plural | 3myin |
| feminine plural | 3myat |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ma” but also “a3ma”, “3mae”, “3amya” and “aama”. 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 “3ma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “blindness, loss of sight”; “blindness (figurative)”: 3ma in Tunisian.