jben جبن
Moroccan Darija · noun
“jben” (جبن) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning fresh white cheese.
Meanings
- fresh white cheese
- cheese (in general)
Usage
Jben first refers to fresh white cheese, often made from cow's or goat's milk, sold at the market or homemade. It is eaten at breakfast with bread, olive oil or honey. By extension, it is used for cheese in general, although industrial cheeses often go by their brand name or the word fromage. It is a collective noun: you say "chwiya d jben" (a little cheese). Note: the same Arabic spelling means "cowardice" in Standard Arabic, a sense absent from everyday usage in Morocco.
Example
كان كيسحاب ليا غادي يحسّن من الجودة ديال جبن ديالو
kan kis7ab liya ghadi y7essen men ljouda dial jben dialo
“I thought he was going to improve the quality of his cheese.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jben” but also “jbn”, “jbne” and “jbenn”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jben” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “cheese”: jben in Tunisian.