3mi عمي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3mi” (عمي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning my paternal uncle.
Meanings
- my paternal uncle
- sir (to an older man)
Usage
3mi is the possessed form of 3amm, "paternal uncle". A maternal uncle is khali: darija always distinguishes the two, unlike English. Ould 3mi and bent 3mi refer to cousins on the father's side, and the expression extends informally to a close friend ("my buddy"). With a or ya in front, a 3mi is a polite way to address an older man, known or not, such as a shopkeeper or a taxi driver. An uncle's wife is mrat 3mi.
Example
مرات عمي عيانة
mrat 3mi 3yana
“My uncle's wife is tired.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3mi” but also “3ami”, “3mmi”, “3emi” and “aami”. 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 “3mi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “paternal uncle”; “sir (respectful address to older man)”: 3ammi in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my paternal uncle”; “sir (respectful address to an older man)”: 3ammi in Tunisian.