jna7 جناح
Moroccan Darija · noun
“jna7” (جناح) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning wing (of a bird, insect, plane).
Meanings
- wing (of a bird, insect, plane)
- wing of a building
- stand, pavilion at an exhibition
Usage
Jnaḥ first means the wing of a bird or an insect, and by extension that of an airplane. The usual plural is jwaneḥ. It is also used for a wing of a building, for example in a hospital or an administration, and for the stand or pavilion at a trade fair. In cooking, the same word is used for chicken wings. Mind the pronunciation: the final ḥ is a voiceless pharyngeal consonant, often written 7 in arabizi. It must not be confused with an ordinary h.
Example
الطير تهرس ليه الجناح وما بقاش كيطير
tteyr theres lih jjna7 w ma b9ach kayTir
“The bird broke its wing and no longer flies.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jna7” but also “jnah” and “jana7”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “jna7” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “wing (of a bird, plane)”; “wing (of a building)”: jne7 in Tunisian.