khal خال
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khal” (خال) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning maternal uncle.
Meanings
- maternal uncle
- mole, beauty spot
Usage
Khal refers to the mother's brother. The father's brother is 3emm, and darija always distinguishes the two. It is mostly used with a possessive: khali, my uncle; khalek, your uncle. It is also used to politely address an older man. The word also refers to a mole on the face. Note: in arabizi, x7al or ch7al means "how much". It is a different word, not to be confused with khal.
Example
خالي جا من فرانسا
khali ja men Fransa
“My maternal uncle came from France.”
Forms
| feminine | khala |
|---|---|
| plural | khwal |
| feminine plural | khalat |
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 “khal” but also “5al”, “khali”, “khaal” and “khala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “maternal uncle”; “mole (on the skin)”: 5al in Tunisian.