9anoun قانون
Moroccan Darija · noun
“9anoun” (قانون) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning law.
Meanings
- law
- regulation, rule
- qanun (zither)
Usage
9anoun means law in the legal sense, but also, more broadly, any regulation or rule to be followed. For example, "9anoun dyal sir" is the highway code. Common expressions are "f 9anoun" (legally) and "ḍedd l-9anoun" (illegal). The plural is "9awanin". The same word also names the qanun, the plucked-string zither of Arabic music. Context is enough to tell the two meanings apart. The register is neutral, and the word is used in conversation as well as in the media.
Example
مانضنش غادي يحطو شي قانون جديد
mandench ghadi y7etou chi 9anoun jdid
“I don't think they're going to introduce a new law.”
Forms
| plural | 9awanin |
|---|
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 “9anoun” but also “9anon”, “qanoun”, “qanon” and “9aanon”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9anoun” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “law”; “rule, regulation”: 9anoun in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “law”; “rule, regulation”: 9anoun in Tunisian.