9ows nnbi قوس النبي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“9ows nnbi” (قوس النبي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning rainbow.
Meanings
- rainbow
Usage
9ows nnbi literally means "the Prophet's bow". It is the popular, traditional way of naming the rainbow in Morocco. It is heard mostly among older people and in the countryside, often when the sun returns after rain. The schoolbook term, borrowed from Standard Arabic, is qaws qouzah. It dominates in writing and among younger people. The expression works as a single noun and takes the article before the first element when it is made definite.
Example
شوف قوس النبي طلع فالسما
chouf 9ows nnbi tla3 f sma
“Look, a rainbow has appeared in the sky.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ows nnbi” but also “9ous nnbi”, “qaws nnbi”, “9aws nnbi” and “9ws nnbi”. 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.