dkhla دخلة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“dkhla” (دخلة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning entrance, way into a place.
Meanings
- entrance, way into a place
- right of entry, act of entering
- bride's entry, wedding
Usage
Dkhla is the verbal noun of dkhel. It first means the entrance to a place, that is, the passage by which one gets in. It also means the act of entering, hence the idea of a right of entry. In the context of marriage, dkhla refers to the moment the bride enters her husband's home, which includes the wedding night. This sense is common, but it should be used with tact. Depending on context, one can also speak of someone's dkhla to mean their arrival or the way they present themselves. For an entrance door in the strict sense, bab is used instead.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dkhla” but also “de5la”, “d5la”, “dakhla” and “dekhla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “dkhla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “entrance (of a town, place)”; “arrival, way of entering”: dakhla in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “entry, act of entering”; “striking arrival, appearance”: dakhla in Tunisian.