chtranj شطرنج
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chtranj” (شطرنج) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning game of chess.
Meanings
- game of chess
Usage
Chtranj refers to the game of chess. It is used with the verb l3eb, "to play": nl3eb chtranj, "to play chess". In this use the word takes no article and no plural; it stays singular. To talk about the pieces, people often use the French names (roi, reine, fou), especially young people and in school settings. The word is known everywhere. It belongs to a neutral register and is used equally in clubs and at home.
Example
كانتسنّا فيك ت علّمني نلعب شطرنج
kantsenna fik t 3llemni nl3eb chetranje
“I'm waiting for you to teach me to play chess.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chtranj” but also “chetranj”, “chatranj”, “chtrenj”, “chetranje” and “chtrnj”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chtranj” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “chess (the game)”: chatranj in Tunisian.