khanzir خنزير
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khanzir” (خنزير) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning pig, hog.
Meanings
- pig, hog
- wild boar
Usage
Khanzir means pig. It is understood everywhere, but belongs to a rather formal or religious register, for example when speaking of the forbidden meat: lḥem lkhanzir. In everyday conversation, people mostly use hallouf, a more colloquial word that also serves for the wild boar. Both words can be used as insults directed at a person. They are then very offensive and should be avoided. Learners should know that mentioning this animal remains delicate in many contexts.
Example
هادا ماشي لحم الخنزير
hada machi l7em lkhanzir
“This is not pork.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khanzir” but also “5anzir”, “khenzir” and “khanzer”. 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 “khanzir” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “pig, pork”; “insult: filthy or vile person”: 5enzir in Tunisian.