drhem درهم
Moroccan Darija · noun
“drhem” (درهم) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning dirham, Moroccan currency.
Meanings
- dirham, Moroccan currency
- money (plural drahem)
Usage
Drhem is the monetary unit of Morocco. After a number, the singular form is often kept: 20 drhem, 5 drhem. In writing it is commonly abbreviated "dhs". The plural drahem is used mainly for money in general: ma 3ndich drahem, "I have no money". Pitfall: in everyday life, many Moroccans also count in ryal or in centimes. The same price can therefore be stated in several ways, and you need to know which unit the other person is using.
Example
طلع ب 20 درهم
Tle3 b 20 dhs
“It cost 20 dirhams.”
Forms
| plural | dra8em |
|---|
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “drhem” but also “drhm”, “dr8m”, “dirham” and “der8am”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “drhem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written دراهم, where it means “money, cash”; “a penny, the slightest sum”: drahem in Algerian.