d9an دقان
Moroccan Darija · noun
“d9an” (دقان) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning knocking (at the door).
Meanings
- knocking (at the door)
- banging, pounding
Usage
Dqqan is the verbal noun of dqq, "to knock, to bang". It mainly refers to a series of knocks at a door. It is used with sme3, "to hear": sme3t dqqan f lbab, "I heard knocking at the door". The word stresses repetition or duration of the blows. For a single knock, people say dqqa instead. In darija, the same verb is used for knocking on a door, pounding in a mortar, or driving in a nail. Context shows the meaning. The register is everyday and informal.
Example
سمعت دقان بالباب
sm3t d9an blbab
“I heard knocking at the door.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “d9an” but also “da9an”, “dqqan”, “d99an” and “dqan”. 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.