chouk شوك
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chouk” (شوك) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning thorns (collective).
Meanings
- thorns (collective)
- tight spot, trouble
Usage
Chouk is a collective noun: it refers to a plant's thorns in general. A single thorn is chouka, and the plural chwak is also used to talk about many thorns. A tree or bush is said to be "koullou chouk" or "fih chouk". Figuratively, being wast chouk, "in the middle of thorns", means being in a painful or delicate situation. The word belongs to the everyday register. It should not be confused with chouq or chou9, "desire, longing".
Example
عمرك جربتي تسلق ديك شجرة را كولها شوك
3emrek jerebti tselle9 dik chejra ra koulha chwak
“Have you ever tried climbing that tree? It's all thorns.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chouk” but also “chwak”, “chok” and “shouk”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chouk” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “thorns, spines (plants, animals)”; “goosebumps (chouk lahmi)”: chouk in Tunisian.