9obtan قبطان
Moroccan Darija · noun
“9obtan” (قبطان) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning ship's captain.
Meanings
- ship's captain
- chief, commander
Usage
Qobtan mainly means the captain of a boat, for example a trawler or a ship. The word is common in coastal towns and the fishing world. The plural is qbatna. For the captain of a football team, Moroccans more often say kabitan or "captain", as in French. Qobtan remains rather maritime or slightly literary. It is sometimes used jokingly for whoever is in charge of a group.
Example
القبطان ديال الفلوكة خرج للبحر بكري
l9obtan dyal lflouka khrej lbe7r bekri
“The captain of the boat went out to sea early.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9obtan” but also “qobtan”, “9ebtan” and “9obtane”. 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.