khencha خنشة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khencha” (خنشة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning large sack, jute bag.
Meanings
- large sack, jute bag
- plastic bag
Usage
Khencha refers to a large sack of cloth, jute or woven plastic, used for flour, wheat, charcoal or vegetables at the souk. The word is feminine and its common plural is khnach. Depending on the region, it can also mean an ordinary plastic bag, although mika is more frequent for that. Goods are often counted in sacks: khencha dyal dqiq. For a handbag or a travel bag, other words are used, such as sac or chkara.
Example
شرا خنشة ديال الطحين
chra khencha dyal tta7in
“He bought a sack of flour.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khencha” but also “5ancha”, “khancha”, “khensha” and “5encha”. 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.