chamal شمال
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chamal” (شمال) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning north.
Meanings
- north
- northern Morocco
Usage
Chamal means the cardinal direction, but in Morocco the word very often refers, with or without the article, to the northern region: Tangier, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, the Rif. Saying ana men chamal means introducing yourself as coming from that region, which has its own accents and habits. It also appears in geographical expressions such as chamal ifriqya (North Africa). The corresponding adjective is chamali. The word belongs to the everyday register and is used in speech and in writing.
Example
راه شمال عامر سيح
rah chamal 3amer sya7
“The north is full of tourists.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chamal” but also “shamal” and “chmal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chamal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “north”; “the north of the country”: chmal in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “north (cardinal direction)”; “the North (region of Tunisia)”: chmel in Tunisian.