jahannam جهنّم
Moroccan Darija · noun
“jahannam” (جهنّم) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning hell (religious).
Meanings
- hell (religious)
- hell, unbearable situation or heat
Usage
Jahannam is the religious term for hell. It is heard in sermons, in invocations and in phrases like llah yb3edna mn jahannam, "may God keep us far from hell". In everyday language, the word is also used figuratively for an unbearable situation, crushing heat or a difficult period: had ssif jahannam, "this summer is hell". Religiously, the word remains grave. It should therefore be used with care and not hurled at someone as a curse, which would be very badly received.
Example
الله يحفظنا من جهنم
llah y7fdna mn jahannam
“May God protect us from hell.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jahannam” but also “jahanam”, “jahennam”, “ja8annam”, “jahnam” and “ja8nnam”. 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 “jahannam” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “hell (religious)”; “unbearable situation”: jahannam in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “hell (religious sense)”; “unbearable heat or situation”: jhannem in Tunisian.