khali خالي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khali” (خالي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning my maternal uncle.
Meanings
- my maternal uncle
- affectionate term for an older man
Usage
Khali is the possessed form of khal, "maternal uncle", with the suffix -i ("my"). Darija clearly distinguishes the mother's brother (khal) from the father's brother (3emm, hence 3emmi). So for an English speaker, saying "my uncle" means choosing according to which side of the family he is on. The word takes the other possessives: khalek (your uncle), khalha (her uncle). The maternal aunt is khalti. Khali is also used affectionately to address an older man who is no relation.
Example
راه جا خالي
rah ja khali
“My uncle has come.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khali” but also “5ali” and “khaali”. 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 “khali” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my maternal uncle”; “empty, vacant (place)”: khali in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my maternal uncle”; “address to an older man”: khali in Tunisian.