kettan كتان

Moroccan Darija · noun

“kettan” (كتان) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning flax (plant, seeds).

Meanings

1. flax (plant, seeds)
2. linen cloth

Usage

The word kettan means flax. In everyday life it is mostly heard in the expression zerri3t lkettan, "flax seeds". They are bought from the herbalist or the grocer and eaten whole or ground, mixed into yogurt, juice or other preparations, for digestion or as part of a diet. The sense of fabric (linen cloth) also exists, but it is less frequent in everyday conversation. With the article, you say lkettan. Be careful not to confuse kettan with qoton, which means cotton.

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kettan” but also “kttan”, “ktan” and “kattan”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “kettan” on the Arabic keyboard

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “linen (fabric)”; “flax (plant)”: kettan in Algerian.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “linen (fabric)”; “flax (plant, fibre)”: kettan in Tunisian.