kelb كلب
Moroccan Darija · noun
“kelb” (كلب) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning dog.
Meanings
- dog
- bastard (insult, figurative)
Usage
Masculine noun, plural klab, feminine kelba (“female dog”). It is the usual word for the animal, whether a guard dog, a stray or a pet. Aimed at a person, it becomes a fairly strong insult, so use it with care. The diminutive kliyeb means a puppy or small dog. Keeping a dog as a pet is less common in Morocco than in France, and many people stay wary of the animal. You say rebba kelb for “to raise a dog”.
Example
هجم عليا كلب
hjm 3lia klb
“A dog attacked me.”
Forms
| feminine | kelba |
|---|---|
| plural | klab |
| feminine plural | klbat |
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 “kelb” but also “klb”, “kalb” and “kleb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kelb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “dog”; “bastard (insult)”: kelb in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “dog”; “bastard (insult)”: kalb in Tunisian.